DRC - Death in the Volcanoes
2002 – 26 mins
SCRIPT
On the volcanoes of northern Rwanda, rages a life and death struggle. The rainforest is a battlefield...and among its victims: teenage boys sent on suicide missions from the Congo into Rwanda...gorilla trackers who protect and guard the animals...and rare mountain gorillas shot dead in cross-fire or eaten by hungry rebels.
TITLE
Seven volcanoes line the Rwandan border with Congo. In the shadow of one of them the lies the prisoner of war camp of Mudende. 1 734 rebels are imprisoned at Mudende. The prisoners are the soldiers of Alir: The Army for the Liberation of Rwanda. Alir has bases and strongholds in the Congo from where they launch attacks over the volcanoes into Rwanda.
04:37:14 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka (Special Envoy to the Rwandan President: “If you look at the leadership
(Those commanding the force) – They are on the Category 1- list of those who planned the Congo genocide”
04:48:12 – Col. Pierre Claver Habimana (Chief of staff : ALIR):
“My rank is colonel, and I am the chief of staff of ALIR”
05:00:02 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “ … And their clear aim in the captured power is to continue the genocide which they believe is an unfinished mission.”
05:06:21 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “They will continue to fight until the Kigali regime has fallen. We will continue until change comes about.”
Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “The push is to get to Rwanda, capture power and carry on genocide against the Tutsi’s of the country. “
Colonel Habimana and his men are known as the "interahamwe"...which means "those who stand together". The interahamwe was at the forefront of the 1994 genocide when a million Rwandans were killed. When the Rwandan Patriotic Front won the war in August 1994, the former government and its interahamwe fled into Congo. There they re-grouped under the name of Alir. Since then, they've launched murderous attacks into Rwanda... killing thousands of civilians in their attempt to regain power.
05:56:22 – “Yes, there were some cases where civilians got killed”
06:02:01 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “But those were isolated incidents”
(Visuals: Land & Forrest)
“Some commanders acted without orders and killed civilians”
For several years now, the Congolese government in Kinshasa and Zimbabwe have supported Alir. They've provided them with weapons, bases, and training. As a result, Rwanda and Uganda have invaded northeast Congo. They justify their occupation by saying that they have to keep Alir away from their borders.
06:42:04 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “Some arms we get at the front when we defeat the enemy. But finally we also get arms from Kinsasha.
06:57:14 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “We think they have soldiers between 30 & 40 thousand”
In May this year, Alir planned their biggest infiltration ever into Rwanda. Colonel Habimana was one of the masterminds behind the attack.
07:11:04 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “The aim was to bring in major thrusts in the North West, push as far as they can go, capture territory and if they find the situation warrants it, they could capture Kigali as well.”
07:24:03 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “For the first infiltration I arrived with around 4000 troops.”
Alir planned to send in wave after wave of soldiers... hide and then re-group in the forest. With support from the local population they would fight their way to the capital Kigali. The infiltration took place through the rain forests of the Volcano National Park... on the border between Rwanda and Congo. These seven volcanoes are home to the world's last remaining mountain gorillas. Scientists say there are only 359 of them left. Mountain gorillas are what is called "critically endangered" - which means there are less than 250 adults. Since the 1994 genocide and subsequent civil war, the mountain gorillas have been trapped between the infiltrators and the Rwandan army.
08:14:18 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “Security of Rwanda is very important for the Gorillas, it’s also important that we stop the filtration coming in from the Congo.”
08:22:23 – Dr. Liz Williamson (Dianne Fossey Gorilla Fund): “This specie is just on the brink of extinction. Just 359 animals; every individual has a huge biological value.”
The Alir soldiers were ill-equipped for their mission: they had no food or medicine. They tried to steal potatoes from local farmers, but couldn't find any. As they sneaked back into the forest on the 30th of May to hide for the night, they saw a gorilla.
08:53:18 – Innocent Kagango (Infiltrator): “They shot the gorilla three times. Then they shot a second gorilla, I don’t know if it survived or not. I saw the meat, it looked like that of a human. It was then that I thought they might eat me as well. I escaped, came down the mountain and surrendered.”
09:23:16 – Dr. Liz Williamson: “I cried my eyes out when those two were eaten. It was the worst thing that happened to my professional life (It was really very hard to cope with).”
Warned of the infiltration, the Rwandan army launched a massive counter-attack. Around 2000 Alir soldiers were shot dead and 2000 captured.
09:54:00 – “A number of ill equipped infiltrators has crossed to the Rwandan side of the border in the (Vitonga?) Mountains.”
“The captured 14 year old boy says they came across an isolated rare mountain gorilla and slaughtered it for survival (killing ten of them on the spot).”
10:22:09 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “It was very rough conditions, very difficult, we found little to eat, no medicine, we had to use traditional medicine.”
10:37:13 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “The population in the North West surprised the attackers by giving us information and a warning about the approach. The units have been spotted by the population.”
10:53:05 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “…and further, we had meager material means at the disposal of our army. We couldn’t match the assaults of the Rwandan army.”
Congo and Rwanda each have about 160 mountain gorillas in the volcanoes...Uganda the remaining 40 or so. While the gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda have been well protected, in Congo they have been slaughtered. Under heavy military escort, we traveled to the headquarters of the Virunga National Park... on the other side of the volcanoes inside Congo. There's little government control in the area. Despite a lack of resources, Congolese conservationists are desperately trying to conserve their gorillas. But as the Alir soldiers fled back into the Congo after their failed infiltration, tragedy struck . Towards the middle of July, a famous silverback by the name of Rugendo was caught in the cross-fire. Chief conservationist Laurent Muhindo tells the story.
11:59:21 – Laurent Muhindo (Chief conservationist – Virunga National Park): “They explained that he was caught in the cross fire. The military was camouflaged Rebels that came from the other side. The gorillas were in the middle. There was an exchange of fire. The male tried to defend the family, he was hit by a bullet and died.”
12:30:04 – Dr. Liz Williamson: “In 1995 – 4 was shot, in 1997 – 14 shot dead, and we don’t know at the moment what’s happening.”
But it isn't only the gorillas that are victims of this civil conflict. Many Congolese gorilla trackers - armed in order to protect their gorillas - have also been shot dead.
12:52:12 – “Four guards have been killed while protecting the gorillas. The Interahamwe kidnapped one. Three died in the battle while following the gorillas.”
13:18:15 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “It is unfortunate that those animals that are an International heritage, and are protected worldwide, had to be killed in this manner, … but …. , there you go.
Colonel Habimana entered the country on the first of July this year. He was arrested two weeks later while hiding in the home of a local farmer. In a massive propaganda drive, he was paraded around the countryside... and then reunited with his family. He called on Alir to stop fighting.
14:00:00 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “There were many political changes. I saw that the government in Kigali was making an effort to improve the living conditions of its people.
14:14:00 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “We still have that forces in the Congo coming, until they abandon their ideology of genocide.”
The Alir-infiltration continues. While we were filming at the prisoner-of- war camp at Mudende, a group of infiltrators was brought in. They were captured by the Rwandan army in the forest the previous day. Several had been shot dead and two were wounded. Among them were a boy of twelve and a boy of fourteen. We were allowed to film their interrogation. They said they had been sent to Rwanda to overthrow the government.
15:04:02 – (Q) Do you have a program in ALIR to recruit children?
Yes, if they get them they recruit them.
What is the problem with your leg?
It is infected, the sharp sticks in the forest “stung” me
How many were you?
We were about 21.
Remove your jacket; let’s see.
Do you have any relatives left?
No, except my brother.
Where does he live?
Gisenyi.
Can you find him if we take you?
Yes, I think I can find him.
What’s your name?
Uwimana.
Your second name?
Andrea
When did you go to the Congo?
1994.
Where are your parents?
(A) They stayed behind here in Rwanda.
Most of the Alir soldiers will soon be released or integrated into the Rwandan army... as soon as they've undergone a so-called re-education programme. 16 000 Alir soldiers have already done so. Colonel Habimana however faces a different fate for his alleged complicity in the genocide.
16:46:21 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “He was a major in the army at the time. He is also on the list of the category 1, meaning the planners of genocide.”
16:56:20 – Col. Pierre Habimana: “My conscience is clear”
17:01:18 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “We are holding him separate from the others, and eventually he will go to trial as one of the planners of genocide”
The gorillas have in the last seven years survived genocide, civil war and ongoing insecurity and infiltration. Their survival is a tribute to, among others, the dedication of a remarkable group of people.
The road to the Volcano National Park...the 13 000 hectare gorilla reserve in northwestern Rwanda. Here 160 mountain gorillas find sanctuary. This was the first national park in Africa. In July 1999 gorilla tourism resumed. At the moment up to 150 tourists visit the park every month. It is said to be one of the most exhilarating wildlife experiences in the world.
18:07:23 – “ It is our challenge to keep this for humanity. It is one park that is visited through thick and thin, people keep coming. They tend to ignore warnings of the embassy.”
18:23:04 – Dr. Liz Williamson: “Because they are such special and unique animals. I think that we have to try our utmost to try and keep them alive, keep the population going.”
18:35:18 – Dr. Patrick Mazimhaka: “The gorillas have to be protected, they are vulnerable. They are escorted and protected.”
18:47:16 - Dr. Liz Williamson: “We have only just been able to establish that there has been an increase, we had no idea. For more than 10 years we have not known how many gorillas there were. At the end of the year 2000 we did a count of all known Gorillas (and it’s 359). It has increased 10% over ten years; a very small increase, but given the conditions that they are living in, it’s very encouraging. I think if something drastic had happened to the population they could be halved by war or disease, but I don’t think they’ll be wiped out in the near future.”
The national park is a small island of pristine rainforest... surrounded by the most densely populated territory in Africa. In a country where land is scarce, the government has embarked on a massive drive to inform locals about the value of the National Park.
19:43:08 – “It brings in foreign currency, the good air we breath and the rain we need. This is more important than the problems from the park. “
(Woman) – “You people from far away must assist us and put up a fence. We must prevent animals from eating our crops. A fence will make us happy”
20:08:23 – “There is a gentleman already studying the plan; how big this area is and how many rivers flow through it.”
(Man) – “If that can be done, this place will be a paradise”
“The gorillas cause no problems here”
“Yes, they are innocent”
In Rwanda, every move a gorilla make is noticed...by a unique group of people: the gorilla trackers of the volcanoes. Francois Birimana has been a tracker for 21 years.... And worked with the legendary gorilla conservationist Dian Fossy. These people follow the gorillas every day... give them names... and bury them.
20:56:16 – Dr. Liz Williamson: “They are completely involved in the gorillas’ lives, it’s their daily job. They spend all day, every day with the gorillas. I think they view them as family & they get really involved and really worried if somebody’s sick. They’re very – very attached to the animals. They’ve only done 1 or 2 years of secondary school and they speak either (Kinial?) or just a little bit of French. They don’t write in their reports the detail of what they know. I’ve tried to get them to write about the gorillas & they always write very brief (no detail). And it’s all up here, they know so much.
It's a Sunday afternoon. The trackers get together on the edge of the Gorilla park. This is a time for gorilla talk... for the older trackers to share their experiences with the youngsters.
22:12:10 (Q) How does it speak and how do you speak to it?
(#1) If you see it and it is scared, you call it like this [imitation of calling]
(#2) When we are with them, there is another way we speak [imitation of calling]
(#3) As my friend is saying, you use that language when they are at a place where there is food and they are eating and are happy
(#4) or like this … When the one sees food, he calls the others: Come, this is sweet.
a New Born baby in your group, how do you feel?
I’m very happy.
What about you Gasigwa?
I’m so happy when I see the mother holding the baby, in the same way that I’m holding this bottle.
When it want’s to scare you, what does it do?
It beats itself on its chest, but sometime it also does it when its happy.
23:56:02 – David welcoming people to the National Park. Telling about the “Massive” volcano-massive, between 3 countries (Rwanda, Congo & Uganda).
“In this massive we have mountain gorillas “
Visiting the group of 35
Showing the gorilla chief, vice chief & baby, introducing them by their names (Baby, born in May – Name meaning souvenir)
The great apes - gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-otangs - are man's closest relatives on this planet. They share 98 per cent of human genes and their behaviour is startlingly like that of man. An adult gorilla has the intelligence of a five year-old human child. Mountain gorillas are on average bulkier than other varieties... with a silver back weighing up to 200 kilograms. A silverback usually has a harem of three to five wives, each of whom would raise about six offspring. They live, on average, up to the age of fourty. Mountain gorillas can survive nowhere else but in the high altitude of the volcanoes. All the animals in captivity are lowland gorillas. If we fail to protect these animals in their natural habitat, they will be gone forever.
26:35:23 – Dr. Liz Williamson: “The National Park lost a lot of staff, lost about half their staff, we didn’t loose that many. Because I built three houses in town, so they weren’t vulnerable.
The gorilla trackers have paid a high price for their dedication to these animals. They live in an area that's not safe. Several have been killed in cross-fire or while protecting their gorilla families. There are two groups of trackers in Rwanda: those working for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. And then the national park trackers.
The day after our interview with Liz Williamson, tracker Mathias Mpiranya was shot dead. Mathias and a group of trackers were following a family of gorillas... when they stumbled across a band of infiltrators. These are his tracker friends that carried him down the mountain... and buried him the next day. They then went back into the forest to look for the gorillas.