UWA MOURNS THE KILLING OF ONE OF THEIR STAFF BY ALLEGED CONGOLESE INTRUDERS
The Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the country’s conservation and tourism fraternity, mourn the loss of one Angel Kobusheshe in the Ishasha or Southern Sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which borders to the Congo DR were sporadic fighting is still going on between opposing militias. Angel was shot dead on Tuesday by what are likely to be intruders from across the border in Congo, where law and order are literally gone AWOL and where some resemblance of discipline only prevails in parts controlled by the M27 movement.
The night prior to the incident on Tuesday morning was a Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldier shot, allegedly by the same goons which came across the open border under the cover of darkness to loot, steal and rob before running back to their safe havens inside Congo. The lady soldier is said to be recovering in a hospital in Kampala.
While it is difficult to establish motives beyond the usual robbing and looting element, there is however suspicion among those close to the powers that be in Uganda, that this case bears similarities to an incident a few weeks ago in Rwanda, where a Rwandese ranger was killed before his camp was looted by intruders from the Congo DR along the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, an act clearly aimed at disrupting gorilla research and threatening a thriving tourism industry.
‘This could be a similar scenario that besides trying to steal things from Uganda while their own supplies have run low, they could also try to destabilize our tourism industry. Ishasha has two tourist camps which is why UPDF is deployed there and it is near Bwindi where the bulk of our tourists go to see gorillas. The matter is being investigated but one cannot rule out a bigger picture that either militias hostile to Uganda or rogue elements in the Congo army could have done that. If they had orders from above, that is the million dollar question like it was in Rwanda a few weeks ago. What is clear is that there are hostile elements to us across the border and we must remain vigilant at all times to protect our territory and our people from such acts of aggression. Personally I do not believe this was a simple act of robbery or stealing but that is my own humble opinion’ said a source with some insight into the situation at the border area between Kihihi and Ishasha on condition of strict anonymity. Condolences are expressed to the family, friends and colleagues at UWA of the late Angel Kobusheshe.
