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28-507: The wildlife reserve makes up roughly one-fifth of the total area of the Ituri Forest . As a Pleistocene refugium , the forest contains dense evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, dominated by Mbau trees ( Gilbertiodendron dewevrei ). The Nepoko , Ituri , and Epulu rivers flow through the reserve, surrounded by swamp forests. The granite outcrops in the north of the reserve protect critical habitat for Encephalartos ituriensis ,

56-567: A mass rape of at least 387 women, men, and children over a three-day span in Walikale in 2010. In May 2007, Mai-Mai killed two wildlife officers in Virunga National Park and threatened to kill mountain gorillas if the government retaliated. The Mai-Mai are also suspected of the killings of nine mountain gorillas, with the use of machetes, and automatic weapons. In an October 2012 incident, Mai-Mai killed two park staff and

84-604: A loosely organized rebel faction, Mai-Mai Simba, who aimed to liberate the local population from the reserve's land use restrictions. The warden of the reserve, Colonel Lucien Gedeon Lokumu announced operation Safisha to clear the reserve of rebel forces and mining operations. A June 2021 report from the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo raised concerns about

112-399: A rebel attack left the center's captive okapis dead and it was decided to focus exclusively (at least as long as there were security concerns) on preserving the wild okapis in the reserve. The center also carries out much important research and conservation work. As of 2015 there was a gold artisanal mining camp at Muchacha within the reserve employing about 8,000 people. The mine was run by

140-608: A separatist group active in the 1960s. They claim to be behind the attack on the Katanga airport in February 2011. It is unclear to what extent all these groups are co-ordinated. The Nduma Defense of Congo (or Mai-Mai Sheka) was formed in 2009 by former minerals trader Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, an ethnic Nyanga . Sheka claims the group was formed to liberate the mines of Walikale Territory in North Kivu . The NDC are accused of

168-627: A soldier, while three soldiers were injured. From 1990 to 2018 some 170 Virunga Rangers have died in such attacks, according to the World Wildlife Foundation . Six Virunga Park Rangers were killed in an ambush and a seventh ranger was injured in the Central section of the reserve on 10 January 2021. Officials suspected the Mai-Mai to be behind the attacks. In June 2023, seven Virunga Park Rangers were killed by local Mai-Mai in

196-604: A threatened species of cycad . Because of its relatively stable climate during the repeated ice ages , the wildlife reserve, and the Ituri Forest as a whole, protects a unique biological community. As its name implies, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is home to many okapis . As of 1996, the number was estimated at 3900–6350, out of a global population of around 10,000–20,000. In 1996, there were roughly 7,500 elephants and 7,500 chimpanzees within

224-533: A tracker) were killed. Several of the attackers were also killed. Ituri Forest The Ituri Rainforest ( French : Forêt tropicale de l’Ituri ) is a rainforest located in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo . The forest's name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi River and finally into

252-560: A variety of domestic and foreign government and guerrilla groups at different times. The term Mai-Mai refers not to any particular movement, affiliation or political objective but to a broad variety of groups. The name comes from the Swahili word for water, "maji". Militia members sprinkle themselves with water to protect themselves from bullets. Mai-Mai were particularly active in the eastern Congolese provinces bordering Rwanda, North Kivu and South Kivu (the " Kivus "), which were under

280-722: Is a group which is called Mai-Mai Yakutumba , was organized in 2007 by General Yakutumba. They were reported to have received aid from the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and are widely viewed by other Mai Mai groups as the leaders, though not the commanders, of the Kivu Mai-Mai. A number of smaller Mai-Mai groups, such as the Mudundu 40 / Front de Résistance et de Défense du Kivu (FRDKI) and Mouvement de Lutte contre l'Agression au Zaïre / Forces Unies de Résistance Nationale contre l'Agression de la Républíque Démocratique du Congo (MLAZ/FURNAC), were reported to cooperate with

308-662: Is one of the most important sites for bird conservation in mainland Africa. Many of the bird species found in the reserve are endemic to the Congo Basin, including the endangered Congo peafowl . The imposing Mbiya Mountain overlooks the Epulu village, and nomadic Mbuti pygmies and Bantu farmers also live within the reserve. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was created with the help of the Okapi Conservation Project in 1992. The project continues to support

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336-505: The Congo . The Ituri Rainforest is about 63,000 km (24,000 square miles) in area, and is located between 0° and 3°N and 27° and 30° E. Elevation in the Ituri ranges from about 700 to 1,000 m (2,300 to 3,300 feet). The climate is warm and humid, as exemplified by the nearby city of Bunia , which however is at a slightly higher elevation. About one-fifth of the rainforest is made up of

364-625: The Okapi Wildlife Reserve , a World Heritage Site . It is also the home of the Mbuti pygmies , one of the hunter-gatherer peoples living in equatorial rainforests characterised by their short height (below one and a half metres or 59 inches, on average). They have been the subject of research by a variety of outsiders, including Patrick and Anne Eisner Putnam , who lived on the banks of the Epulu River  [ fr ] at

392-522: The Rwandan military and Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma (RCD-Goma). Walikale and Masisi north of Goma were the centres of Mai-Mai activity in North Kivu. In South Kivu, there have historically been concentrations around Walungu and Bunyakiri south of Lake Kivu , around Uvira and Mwenaga at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika , further south around Fizi , and around Shabunda , between

420-582: The 1999 Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement , which was meant to end the Second Congo War, they remained one of the most powerful forces in the conflict, and the lack of co-operation from some groups has been problematic for the peace process. According to a 2001 UN report, 20,000 to 30,000 Mai-Mai were active in the two Kivu provinces. The two most powerful and well-organized Mai-Mai groups in the Kivus were led by Generals Padiri and Dunia. Currently most active

448-461: The Congo (DRC) that is formed to defend local communities and territory against other armed groups. Most were formed to resist the invasion of Rwandan forces and Rwanda . Groups that fall under the umbrella term "Mai-Mai" include armed forces led by warlords, traditional tribal elders, village heads and politically motivated resistance fighters. Because Mai Mai have only the most tenuous internal cohesion, different Mai-Mai groups allied themselves with

476-497: The Reserve. As of 2005, the fighting in the eastern part of the country moved within the boundaries of the Reserve, causing its staff to flee or be evacuated. Lack of funding due to the poor political and economic conditions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has also been problematic. It is hoped that eco-tourism to the area can be developed, leading to both increased funding and improved public awareness. The wildlife reserve

504-801: The Rwandan border and Kindu. A former leader of the Mai-Mai, Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga , turned himself over to MONUC troops in May 2006. He was found guilty of numerous war crimes between October 2003 and May 2006 and was sentenced to death by the Kipushi Military Tribunal in Katanga Province on 6 March 2009. He escaped from prison in September 2011 and formed the Mai-Mai Kata Katanga ("Secede Katanga"). There

532-655: The control of the Rwanda-allied Banyamulenge -dominated rebel faction, the Congolese Rally for Democracy–Goma (RCD-Goma) during the Second Congo War . While militias have long been common in the Kivus, particularly among the minority Batembo and Babembe ethnic groups, the recent wars and conflicts caused large numbers of town dwellers to form Mai-Mai. Although the Mai-Mai, either as a group or as individual groups, were not party to

560-621: The edge of the Ituri. They were also the subject of a well-known study by Colin Turnbull , The Forest People , which was published in 1962. The Ituri rainforest was first traversed by Europeans in 1887 by Henry Morton Stanley on his Emin Pasha Relief Expedition . Mai-Mai The term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active in the Democratic Republic of

588-474: The location of the Epulu Conservation and Research Center, on the Epulu River . This facility dates back to 1928 when the camp was founded by American anthropologist Patrick Putnam as a capture station, where wild okapis were captured and sent to American and European zoos . Until 2012 it still served that function, albeit with very different methodology, as the okapis remained in Congo. In 2012

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616-600: The presence of semi-industrialized dredging operations 12 kilometers south of Bandegaido, within the Okapi Wildlife reserve. Mining took place within the Muchacha Ming Complex (MMC) which is covered by a permit from the official DRC Mining Cadastre, held by the Chinese businessman Kong Maohuai's MCC Resources . The company Kimia Mining Investment sarl was operating at the mine. Mining is illegal in

644-419: The reserve by training and equipping wildlife guards and by providing assistance to improve the lives of neighboring communities. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger in 1997. The main threats to the reserve are deforestation , primarily caused by slash and burn agriculture, and commercial hunting for the sale of bushmeat . Gold mining has also been problematic to

672-495: The reserve, although those numbers have likely declined significantly in recent years due to poaching and political instability. Other mammals identified within the reserve include the leopard , forest buffalo , water chevrotain , bongo , Bates's pygmy antelope , and giant forest hog . The Ituri Forests is home to 17 primate species have been observed within the reserve, have the highest primate species richness of any African forest. The reserve has over 370 species of bird, and

700-628: The reserve, and FARDC troops were guarding the mining site, also in violation of Congolese law. Later that month, the Congolese authorities announced the seizure of 31 kg of gold (about $ 1.9 million worth) from this Muchaha mine. As of 2022, non-governmental organizations such as the Council for Environmental Defense through Legality and Traceability (CODELT) and Alerte Congolaise pour l’Environnement et les Droits de l’Homme (ACEDH) blame mining operations for destroying pristine rainforest within

728-520: The reserve. On 24 June 2012, the Epulu Conservation and Research Center was attacked, looted and burned by a group of Mai-Mai rebels, led by Paul Sadala (alias Morgan ) and consisting of elephant poachers and illegal miners. During the attack, 13 of the 14 okapis at the center were killed (the last died later of injuries sustained during the attack) and six people, including two wildlife rangers, were also killed. Many other locals, some minors, were abducted, but all were released later. In early August,

756-603: The security situation had improved due to Congolese army troops and guards from the Congolese Wildlife Authority , and preparations for repairs of the center had begun. Following donations from around the world, it had been rebuilt a year after the attack. On 14 July 2017, there was an attack in the section of the reserve near Mambasa , likely by Mai-Mai rebels. Foreign journalists (two British and an American) and several local park rangers escaped unharmed, but five local reserve employees (four wardens and

784-595: Was a large Mai-Mai presence in Maniema , in particular around Kindu and Kalemie . Province Orientale also hosts a number of Mai-Mai, but these groups were apparently involved in long-standing ethnic disputes. Mai-Mai Gedeon is also commanded by Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga and loosely tied to his Mai-Mai Kata Katanga. The Corak Kata Katanga also known as the Co-ordination for a Referendum on Self-determination for Katanga, composed mainly of former Katanga Tigers,

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