War // Current

Hitler really did have only one ball

A German medic who treated Hitler during WW1 has confirmed what the famous old song always said - the Führer really did only... more

richjm
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'Hamas is staging Gaza blackouts'

"Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah accused Hamas on Tuesday of staging the latest blackouts in the Gaza Strip in a... more

DeliaTheArtist
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Congo Violence Reaches Endangered Mountain Gorillas

BULENGO, Congo — Jean-Marie Serundori wakes up every morning with gorillas on his mind.

“I wash my face, I stare at the mountains and I think of them,” he said. “They are like our cousins.”

But Mr. Serundori, a Congolese wildlife ranger entrusted with protecting some of the most majestic — and most endangered — animals on the planet, is far from the broad-backed mountain gorillas he loves.

Instead, he is stuck in a wet and filthy camp for internally displaced people where the only wildlife are the cockroaches that scurry across the mud floors. He is one of the hundreds of thousands of people left idle and destitute by eastern Congo’s most recent spasm of violence, and the consequences in this case may be dire and irreversible.

Eastern Congo is home to almost a third of the world’s last 700 wild mountain gorillas (the rest are in nearby areas of Rwanda and Uganda). Now, there are no trained rangers to protect them. More than 240 Congolese game wardens have been run off their posts, including some who narrowly escaped a surging rebel advance last month and slogged through the jungle for three days living off leaves and scoopfuls of mud for hydration.

“We figured if the gorillas can eat leaves, so can we,” said Sekibibi Desire, who is staying in a tent near the other rangers.

This is just the latest crisis within a crisis. Congo’s gorillas happen to live in one of the most contested, blood-soaked pieces of turf in one of the most contested, blood-soaked corners of Africa. Their home, Virunga National Park, is high ground — with mist-shrouded mountains and pointy volcanoes — along the porous Congo-Rwanda border, where rebels are suspected of smuggling in weapons from Rwanda. Last year in Virunga, 10 gorillas were killed, some shot in the back of the head, execution style, park officials said.

The park used to be a naturalist’s paradise, home to more than 2,000 species of plants, 706 types of birds and 218 varieties of mammals, including three great apes: the mountain gorilla, the lowland gorilla and chimpanzees.

Now Virunga is a war zone.

Rebel soldiers command the hilltops. Government soldiers fire mortars at them, blowing up precious gorilla habitat that is rapidly disappearing anyway because of deforestation and an illegal charcoal trade.

“Armed groups hide in the park, they train in the park, and most importantly, they eat in the park,” said Samantha Newport, a spokeswoman for Virunga National Park.

Ms. Newport said that two years ago, at one of the lakes in the park, a local militia went on a hippopotamus-hunting rampage, machine-gunning hundreds of hippopotamuses for their meat.

“The lake turned red,” she said.BULENGO, Congo — Jean-Marie Serundori wakes up every morning with gorillas on his mind. “I wash my face, I stare at... more

julesrs007
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12 hours ago

2 Die In Public Lynching In Bolivia (GRAPHIC)

At least two Bolivians have died and nine others were seriously injured in an act of vigilante justice against alleged thieves.

toreyray
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14 hours ago

Jon Michael Turner speaks out about Iraq!!

I spent some time watching several times and paid close attention to this video. It is testimony we sure did not hear about on... more

Patio_Patty
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1 day ago

Former Lieutenant "I've shot McCain"

According to an article on the RT (or Russia Today) website, Colonel Yuriy Trushechkin, a former Red Army Lieutenant confesses to... more

smurph25
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15 hours ago

Grenade camera to aid UK troops

A "grenade" camera, that would enable soldiers to look into hazardous areas, is being developed for UK troops. ... more

bonemachine
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16 hours ago

Navy pursuing dial-a-blast bomb

The Navy wants a smarter bomb. Not just a bomb that can land within a few meters of the bull's eye — but a bomb that... more

bonemachine
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16 hours ago

Unexplained Mysteries : Gettysburg Ghost

Do you believe in ghosts ?? mmmm you need to check this one out ? story about gettysburg along with pictures & video , enjoy... more

Cool_blonde_girl
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18 hours ago

Iraqi cabinet accepts US agreement

Sabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3

The Iraqi cabinet agreed by a vote of 27-1 on Sunday to approve the newest US draft of the Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries. The agreement speaks to a variety of issues concerning the occupation, including the complete withdrawal from Iraq of US forces by the end of 2011. Moreover, it includes a promise from the US to not use Iraqi territory as a launch pad to attack inside other Middle-eastern countries, as it did in late October during a raid on a village inside Syria. Sabah al-Nasseri believes that the Iraqi parliament will eventually turn down the agreement for political reasons, in the interests of securing one with Barack Obama when he comes to power in January. The timing is important as the Iraqi provincial elections, which are extremely significant given the power granted provinces under the Iraqi constitution, will take place on January 31. Sabah believes that the importance of faring well in those elections will force the parliament to reject an agreement which has received the rebuke of numerous groups, both religious and secular, who have organized massive protests over recent weeks. One piece of the agreement that very few people are talking about, which Sabah believes has angered many nationalists of all stripes, is the labeling of any armed resistance against occupation forces as terrorists, thereby criminalizing their activities under Iraqi law. Sabah believes that the most recent violence in Iraq was carried out by secular nationalists who are opposed to the deal, given that the targets of the attacks were all US and Iraqi government elements. Sabah, who was born and raised in the Southern Iraqi city of Basra, reiterates his support for an immediate withdrawal of all foreign occupiers, believing that the violence in Iraq stems from the occupation.

Born in Basra, Iraq, Sabah al-Nasseri is Professor of Political Science (Middle East Politics) at York University, Toronto. Prior to that he was a Lecturer of Political Science at the J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt. Currently he is working on an article, “Understanding Iraq.”

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89534152/un_mandate_for_us_troops_in_iraq_running_out.htm

See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89534210/be_careful_what_you_wish_for.htmSabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3 The Iraqi cabinet... more