Rebels « Elsewhere with Laurel

I am currently back in Hong Kong relaxing and spending time with my family, and I will be returning to the C.A.R. on February 7th. Everything is looking relatively good, with the peace agreements signed, a new prime minister appointed and the cabinet dissolved. From now on the only hold-ups I anticipate are silly delays, like when government officials were late to the negotiations in Gabon while the rebels were on time.

In an unrelated matter, Ugandan soldiers together with US Special Forces have killed Kony’s chief bodyguard in the eastern jungles of the CAR (I’m in the west, phew). I think this is good news!

A few months ago, there was a period of time when the radio in our camp was broken. Being our sole form of communication to the outside world, it is rather vital that it remain up and working. After several fruitless attempts to fix it, someone came up with a decidedly novel solution: have the best Ba’Aka tree climbers mount antennae at the tops of very high trees. Didou and a couple other trackers were enlisted due to their elite tree climbing skills and were driven in for this specific purpose.

The Ba’Aka are known for their amazing tree climbing skills, which they need to access the most prized treat of all: wild honey. Check out the mind-blowing segment above from the BBC’s Human Planet, in which a Ba’Aka man climbs to head-dizzying heights and braves a hive of bees in order to impress his wife with some fresh, all-natural honey. (Human Planet is similar to their more famous series Planet Earth but about people and yes, narrated by David Attenborough!) Seriously, watch it. CRAZY. This was actually filmed in Yandoumbe, a village very close to where I am.

I’m not sure if this picture does justice to the height of this tree, but I guesstimate it to be about 130 feet high. If it helps at all the tiny oval at the base of the tree is a toilet seat; I have no idea why that is there, because we most certainly do not have any toilets.

This is Didou looking rather smug with himself at the top of the tree. It was pretty terrifying to watch him as I was half-convinced that I was going to witness him plunge to the ground that day. Using no equipment except for a piece of vine with its ends tied together to form a hoop around the tree, Didou shimmied his way up (watch the BBC video above to see how he did it). I couldn’t tear myself away to grab my camera as he was going up, but scroll down a little to see the video of him coming down.

Here, Didou is performing some careful maneuvers trying to get a giant pole up the tree. I’m not entirely clear on the thought process behind this entire plan, so don’t ask me why he was doing this.

A couple of other men climbed up other trees to attach yet more antennae. This guy here uses a different technique than Didou, chopping small footholds into the bark for a surer grip.

As you can see, there is a very precarious split second during each upwards shimmy.

The same guy up another tree.

And finally, here’s the video of Didou descending. I couldn’t zoom out to give you a full view of the tree but the length of time it takes for him to get to the ground should give you an idea.

On the 10th of December, rebels took over three towns in the north of the country. At the time, no one really knew whether this was cause for serious concern. In what turned out to be quite fortunate timing, I was already planning on going home for the winter holidays. On the 11th, I caught a ride from Bayanga (the village near camp) to Bangui (the capital) on a plane hired by journalists who had just left a town that rebels had entered, but not yet taken over (they eventually did). I flew home the following day. Since then, the rebels have taken over a dozen towns and are only about 45 miles from the capital. The rebels consist of a coalition (the Séléka alliance) of four existing Central African rebel groups and according to some reports, foreign mercenaries and child soldiers. The Séléka rebels claim that they are taking up their arms again because the government has not held up their end of the 2007 peace agreements.

Several countries have sent in troops to support the government and peace talks have just started in nearby Gabon. I don’t have the slightest clue how this will play out. The most significant obstacle to peace that I see is the fact that President Bozizé refuses to step down until he finishes his current term, while the rebels are demanding that he relinquish power as a precondition for peace talks.

News was sparse until late December and there is still disappointingly little information coming out of the country about what the situation is like on the ground. This article is the only one I’ve read that offers an actual analysis of what’s going on. I found this interesting fictional essay written by an African writer that perhaps reflects the general fed-up attitude of Africans towards delusional despots. The quote below from President Bozizé today on why he won’t step down highlights his questionable grasp on reality. Keep in mind that he seized power through a coup, that the 2011 elections were prooobably fraudulent, and that the CAR ranked 144th in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

“That would be a betrayal of my country. That would betray the people who elected me. This is the defence of democracy, the defence of the constitution. To do nothing says we’re turning to the law of the jungle.”

Until it’s safe for me to return, I am stuck in DC. So… here are some pictures!

Sopo horsing around.

Some elephants whose path we crossed.

Kunga chewing on some kiyeye (all plant names that I know are in Ba’aka, so don’t ask me for the scientific or even English name).

Sopo sits in the lap of Mosoko, his half-sister, while they curiously observe the newborn. Baby Ngombo, full-brother of Mosoko, is on mother’s Malui’s stomach.