Tourist Killings in Buhoma
About 100 armed men entered Uganda from the Democratic
Republic of Congo on March 1st to raid 3 tourist camps in Buhoma, Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park. Buildings were looted and set on fire, vehicles
were burnt, and 17 people were kidnapped and taken into the forest. It
seems likely that the attackers had been told about the exact whereabouts
of the tourists by Ugandans. After freeing some hostages, the kidnappers
hacked 8 tourists to death with machetes (4 Britons, 2 Americans and 2
New Zealanders). One Ugandan, the Community Conservation Officer John
Ross Wagaba, was shot and his body set on fire.
It is not clear to which group the murderers belong. They spoke Kisuaheli,
French and Kinyarwanda. Some people described them as Interahamwe, others
as Hutu militia. They themselves said that they belonged to the ALIR (Rwandan
Liberation Army) which has become notorious for their numerous raids
in northwesten Rwanda. Since the war in Rwanda, some ten thousand Rwandan
rebels, militia and bandits are said to roam the forests of eastern Congo
and the Virunga National Park. Afterwards, a group calling itself NALU
(National Army for the Liberation of Uganda) claimed responsibility
for the murders. This could not be confirmed.
After the massacre, the rebels forced a Ugandan
to show them the way back to the Congo. Ugandan and Rwandan troops immediately
took up the chase. By the end of March, they had killed 35 Rwandan rebels
and captured 4. One of them confessed to have participated in the Bwindi
killings. It is not certain that the rebels killed were actually involved
in the massacre. Troops were posted in Buhoma to ensure security in the
future. One source reported that another 15 Rwandan militia were killed
30 miles inside Congo, at Kihito, in May.
Uganda declared a month of mourning for the victims
of the massacre. Gorilla tourism was suspended during that month. The
tour companies using the raided camps withdrew from southwestern Uganda
and removed their equipment from Buhoma.
Before the attack, tourism was Uganda's second largest
source of foreign currency after coffee export. About 75% of the tourist
money was derived from gorilla tourism.
After the mourning, the parks were re-opened on
April 1st. During April 82 tourists visited Bwindi and 47 visited Mgahinga.
Some 60 soldiers were constantly present and worked together with the
park staff. One gorilla group (Nyakagezi) can be visited in Mgahinga and
2 (Mubare and Habinyanja) can be visited in Bwindi. The Nkuringo group
in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park continues to be habituated. Apparently,
there have been no gorilla casualties from the attack.
Photo:
Martha Robbins
Burned hut in Buhoma
A Rwandan Soldier, Jean Paul Bizimana, 30, was charged with nine counts of murder before the Chief Magistrate's Court in Kampala on 21 July 2004. He had been arrested by the Police anti-terrorism squad, assisted by the FBI and Interpol, on 16 July in Kabale district close to the Rwanda border. The case will be back in the court on 2 August