On June 13, 2024, we lost another one of our rangers in what has been the second attack by Mai Mai militia group in six months. Since the beginning of 2024, Upemba National Park has lost two rangers, and another one was severely wounded in the January attack. This shouldn’t have to become the new normal for conservation in DR-Congo.
Mukambilwa Bunia Mustapha was a young, dedicated man. It was not always easy for him. He had to endure quite a lot of hardships with and for us, but he didn’t give up on Upemba and he came back to us stronger than before. His professionalism and dedication made him stand out above others and that’s why he was promoted as second in command at the Mabwe substation.
Mabwe is one of the key conservation areas of Upemba National Park, it is where we have the last remaining pure savanna elephants of DRC. His death marks another difficult page for conservation in DRC: how can rangers continue protecting these gentle giants if they are being attacked by armed groups? Last year in June, another of his colleagues, Banze Mupafu Erasme, was killed by the same militia group during an elephant recon patrol. How do you explain to a family that has lost its child, husband, brother and father that this can happen, that protecting wildlife and nature makes you a target…?
In such moments, as a park manager, you wonder what can be done to prevent this from happening again. Yes, we can build a better base, with better protection, we can have a ‘fortress’ to protect the lives of our rangers, but for how long? The fact that we still have armed groups seeking refuge and resources in protected areas is and remains a real issue.
There is no easy or one size fits all solution, and it is going to take us some time to find the appropriate answer to all these questions. We must find these answers, because we want this to stop.
Today, we mourn Mustapha, we feel powerless in front of the pain of his family and children, but we won’t give up on Upemba and its elephants, like he didn’t. We will continue his work and the work of his fallen colleagues for the survival of Upemba and of all of us.
Tribute: Christine Lain (Director & Site Manager, UNP)
Images: Courtesy of Rewild Africa c/o Carter Kirilenko & Justin Sullivan