Loaded for Bear: African Parks has disgracefully sent more SA rhinos to repressive Rwanda
Much of Africa's wildlife lies within the borders of states with questionable governance or human rights records. But some lines can be drawn in the sand. The Kigali regime stands out for the sheer scale of its repression and the regional instability it has unleashed.
Many conservation groups in Africa have a human rights problem. Pointedly, they often stand accused of being more concerned about the plight of Africa's animals than that of its people.
This perception has been further entrenched by African Parks' announcement this week that it has just translocated another 70 white rhinos from South Africa to Rwanda – a sinister state that has been credibly linked to the killing of dissidents on South African soil.
When African Parks, a Johannesburg-based NGO, announced in 2021 that it had relocated 30 white rhinos to Rwanda's Akagera National Park, I criticised it at the time in this publication, noting that those rhinos would be safer than the country's dissidents.
That observation still holds and, if anything, Rwanda under the autocratic rule of Paul Kagame has become even more of a pariah state with its documented support for the M23 rebels in neighbouring DRC.
The diabolical nature of the Rwandan regime under Kagame has been clinically dissected in veteran journalist Michela Wrong's troubling 2021 book, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad.
'Do Not Disturb' was the sign placed on the room door at the posh Sandton Hotel where Patrick Karegeya, once Rwanda's head of external intelligence, was found murdered more than a decade ago.
But what's the murder of a dissident or two or three – or a dozen for that matter – between friends? African Parks sees no issue with shaking hands with the devil if it advances its conservation agenda – which is disturbing.
'In 2021, African Parks moved 30 southern white rhinos to Akagera National Park. This initial population has increased to 41 animals today. Building on this success, the additional 70 animals will now play a crucial role in ensuring the presence of meta-populations across the continent, presenting opportunities for future range expansion,' African Parks said.
It's all about the animals! It's like African Parks is living in a bubble, completely disconnected from the odious nature of the state it has chosen as a conservation partner.
But that's perhaps not surprising, given the NGO's track record elsewhere in Africa.
Last month it acknowledged that some of its eco-rangers had committed human rights abuses against the Baka community in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo, based on the findings of an independent investigation it had commissioned to probe the allegations.
'African Parks acknowledges that, in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering caused to the victims. There is no place for any form of abuse in the name of conservation,' it said.
There may be 'no place' for this kind of abuse 'in the name of conservation'. But if the state you have chosen to host a rhino conservation project is a serial human rights abuser, there is nothing to see here, folks. The rhinos will be fine!
What will grab the headlines is that this is the largest translocation of its kind.
African Parks has also been involved in a previous megafauna translocation which was billed as the 'largest of its kind'.
In July 2022, 263 elephants were moved from Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi to Kasungu National Park, which borders Zambia along a frontier which has no fence. African Parks has since distanced itself from this project, but it certainly claimed some of the credit at the time.
As I reported from the Zambian side of the park in 2024, this misconceived translocation has transformed the landscape into one of fear and loathing for the poor rural people who live there. Human-wildlife conflict is raging there, with a mounting death toll among both people and elephants.
The big critters that have just been moved to Rwanda come from the 2,000-strong herd that African Parks bought in 2023 from rhino tycoon John Hume. Largely because of the efforts of the private sector, South Africa has enough rhinos for 'rewilding' efforts elsewhere, which broadly aim to restore wildlife populations to former ranges.
Rwanda, by the way, is not a former white rhino range state.
It is indeed the case that much of Africa's wildlife lies within the borders of states with questionable governance or human rights records.
I recently covered first-hand the translocation of South African cheetahs to Mozambique, where last year's elections were hotly disputed, sparking nationwide protests. And let's face it, the ruling Frelimo party has followed other African liberation movements down the well-trodden path of corruption and misrule.
But some lines can be drawn in the sand.
Mountain gorillas, for example, are only found in Rwanda and neighbouring Uganda and the DRC, and so conservation efforts for this species need to be focused in those countries, regardless of the governments in power.
That is not the case with white rhinos. There are plenty of other African countries where they can be translocated to and protected.
The Kigali government stands out for the sheer scale of its repression and the regional instability it has unleashed. And Kagame has an instinctive understanding of what is important to the West. The rhino project comes with the prestige he craves, adding another layer of legitimacy to his regime – which does keep the streets of Kigali clean.
Kagame got 99% of the vote in Rwanda's 2024 elections and unlike in Mozambique, no one was going to raise an eyebrow about that result, let alone lead a protest in the streets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Growing calls for SA to lead the UN in drafting a new Human Rights Treaty
JOHANNESBURG - There are growing calls for South Africa to take a lead role in shaping a new United Nations (UN) treaty on crimes against humanity including apartheid. Human rights groups, including international organisation Madre, are urging government to contribute to the drafting process. The calls come after a two-day dialogue co-hosted by the Nelson Mandela foundation, bringing together lawyers, feminists, and civil society to address the legacy of apartheid and other global atrocities. International lawyer Wendy Isaack said existing laws don't go far enough. "International human rights law is not enough because it does not enable individual prosecution of those that should be held accountable for the crime of apartheid which means inhumane acts committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination on the basis of race, and these acts include murder, torture and assassinations that were committed by apartheid era security forces and agents of the state in South Africa," said Isaack. She said the treaty should be broadly applicable to crimes worldwide. "These matters because when we think of apartheid as a domineering system, as a regime that oppressed black people in SA we also bear in mind that when international law is being developed, this law must also be applicable to other contexts, and at the top of our list are the Israeli apartheid policies and practices in occupied Palestinian territory. And the South African government made this very submission in the international court of justice in the 2014 advisory opinion proceedings," said Isaack. South Africa has previously made similar submissions at the International Court of Justice.
The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
Inside Houghton property where 90 undocumented migrants were found
In one of the back rooms, a 27-year-old Malawian woman who appeared surprised, emerged to see what was happening. She said she was in South Africa to study and had been invited to come to South Africa by her brother Diyason. 'I do have a passport. I had just arrived this month. My brother, Brown, called me when I was at home and said there was an opportunity to study in South Africa and he has accommodation where I can sleep,' she said. A huge yard inside the high walls seems to have had a swimming pool, which has since been destroyed. Some of the rooms are partitioned by cardboard boxes. In one of the rooms, what appears to be the electrical mains box is loaded with electrical wires. An online search on the property market shows the property was bought by a company in August last year for more than R6m. Tshwaku said his inspection was part of the city's ongoing efforts to address illegal occupation, enforce bylaws and uphold the safety and integrity of residential communities. During his visit, officials from Johannesburg Water cut off the water connection, while City Power cut off the illegal electricity connection. Tshwaku said they got a tip-off that there was a house where there was a lot of activity with many people going in and out. 'Yesterday [Thursday], we did the oversight to check what's happening at night. It was a surprise visit. That's when we discovered they were undocumented foreigners, about 92 of them,' he said.
The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
Wanted Mozambican kidnapper killed by cops in Fourways
In yet another success story for the national anti-kidnapping task team, a wanted Mozambican kidnapper was shot dead this week during a tracing operation in Johannesburg. National police spokesperson Brig Athlende Mathe said the anti-kidnapping task team traced a Mozambican kidnapping kingpin to a block of apartments in Fourways. 'The team was tracing a kidnapped Pakistani businessman from Pretoria West. He is still in captivity and the team is still searching for [him]. A ransom demand has been made to the businessman's family,' Mathe said. The tracing operation began at a residential complex in Midrand where they seized a Mercedes-Benz, a silver Pajero and arrested two kidnappers. 'They proceeded to Fourways where the task team announced their arrival and a shoot-out ensued. One suspect was fatally wounded and upon further investigation, it was discovered that 40-year-old Mauro Mucambe Junior is a wanted kidnapping kingpin in Mozambique where he has been linked to several kidnappings. His warrant of arrest was issued by Maputo police in August 2024.' One unlicensed firearm used by the fugitive was seized, including 10 rounds of ammunition. Four cellphones and four bank cards were also seized. 'The SAPS has full faith and confidence in the work of the anti-kidnapping task team to rescue the kidnapped businessman. Since January 2024, the team has arrested more than 170 criminals involved in kidnappings for ransom. More than R1.2m has been recovered. More than 100 victims were rescued mainly in Gauteng and more than 40 vehicles used in kidnapping crimes were seized by the team. 'The anti-kidnapping task team recently registered a breakthrough in the Olorato Mongale murder case where they led the tracing operation of Philangenkosi Makhanya. The search is still on for Bongani Mthimkhulu,' Mathe said. TimesLIVE
