Stories about D.R. of Congo from January, 2009
DRC:Virunga Gorilla Population Has Grown
On Tuesday, 27 January 2009, D.R of Congo's Virunga National Park authorities issued a press release declaring that the population of habituated – or human tolerant – mountain gorillas in the Park had increased by 12.5% in the last 18 months (from August 2007 to January 2009) despite the fierce...
Uganda: Mountain Gorilla Population May Have Declined
We have always known that there are around 700 Mountain Gorillas still alive in the wild today – 336 of which are in Uganda - but a new study published in the journal New Scientist indicates that that might be a little optimistic. The 336 individuals said to be resident...
Conservation Through People
The core of conservation is the people who live adjacent to or inside conservation areas. It has therefore always been the goal of forward thinking conservationists to involve the local communities that surround the conservation areas that are under their charge. In Lubumbashi, DR of Congo, a chimpanzee rescue center,...
Angola: With Ebola Around the Corner, Borders Are Closed
The ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not spread into Angola. To prevent it happening, the neighbouring country has shut down its borders with the DRC and suspended all migration movements to protect its population from the spread of this fatal virus. Clara Onofre reports.
The Killing Continues in DR Congo's Wildlife Parks
Reportedly, the fighting in North Kivu province of DR Congo has quieted down a little. Sporadic fighting however continues to claim lives. On WildlifeDirect blogs, there are reports of two incidents inside DR Congo's wildlife Parks in which people have been killed. Paula Kahumbu gives an analysis of various (mainstream)...
DR Congo: Journalist released after 10 months in prison
Bana Congo [Fr] reports that Nsimba Embete Ponte, director of the paper l’Interprète, was released from prison on January 7 after completing a 10-month sentence for “offence to the head of State”.
DR Congo: A musical roundup
With so much bad news coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo lately, we decided to show a different perspective on the country and looking at a completely different type of blogs for a change - those highlighting Congolese music.
DR Congo: ICC trial for Bemba?
Bana Congo [Fr] and Wronging Rights report that Jean-Pierre Bemba‘s confirmation of charges hearing began at the International Criminal Court on January 12. Bemba is alleged to be criminally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) between October 25, 2002 and March...
Wildlife Tragedies and Happenings at WildlifeDirect Blogs
Attempts to flush out Uganda's Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group's leader, Joseph Kony, have not been very successful. Instead, the civilian casualties continue to pile up. One devastating tragedy for wildlife conservation, as reported on the conservation blog Baraza, was the attack on Garamba National Park rangers by the...
DR Congo: Containing the Ebola Outbreak
In late December an outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola virus was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The outbreak is believed to have infected more than 36 people, including at least 12 deaths. DR Congo is trying to contain the outbreak, while some neighboring countries are...
From Kivu to Gaza: How the Media Choose the Conflicts They Cover
The debate on why the war in east Congo receives such little media attention compared to conflicts in the Middle East continues. A Rue89 journalist asks, "If an Israeli death is worth the death of several Palestinians, how many dead Congolese bodies for a Gazan funeral shroud?" Bloggers on both sides deplore the question.
DR Congo: What went wrong in establishing lasting peace
The Mushaki Pager analyses what went wrong in establishing lasting peace in the DR Congo and why conflict persists.
DR Congo: New mass killings, weak media attention
While fighting in North Kivu has been somewhat quiet of late, there have been reports of mass killings perpetrated by the Ugandan rebel group LRA in the Congolese Haut-Uélé region by the Sudanese border during the past two weeks. Meanwhile, media attention is elsewhere.