We never learn. Having worked in the Djomba and Bukima area for several years setting up a up market tourist lodge and spent a lot of time with Rgendo and his family, I allow myself an opinion on this.

When some of the gorillas in the Djomba area were killed by a prominent rebel group a few months ago - probably accidentally - some of the NGO's mounted a major media campaign (and generally bad media news and fund raising go together). Deals were made with the rebel group in question and presented as major success stories.

In the DRC pretty much every conservation project turns into black mail based conservation - unless the foreign NGO does this that or the other we will kill all bonobos, chimps, gorillas, elephants etc. There is no longer any kind of fear of central government intervention which still existed when I worked in the area.

As such, this rebel groups must by now have realized that they can get ten times more international attention and leverage by killing a few gorillas then even by killing a few dozen civilians - which no longer gets much notice in both Kivus.

So my assessment would be that whenever these groups now want the world's attention or want something else, gorilla killings will occur.

I am convinced that a huge tactical error was committed in dealing with these groups via naive foreign conservation NGOs, as was done with the Lords Resistance Army and their killing of the last Northern White Rhinos in Garamba National park.

Will there be an independent evaluation of the role foreign NGOs have played in this and what 'grievance' triggered this latest killings and maybe some lessons learnt???? I doubt it.

Comments please?

Commentary by Karl Ammann
Nanyuki 07/24/07