Hunter-gatherers face starvation following a hunting ban

A blanket ban on hunting in the Republic of Congo has made life even more difficult for the Baka community, an indigenous hunter-gatherer group living in the rain forests near the timber-concession areas in the north of the country. Members of the community have warned that the ban, which Game rangers are enforcing in the Congolese Wood Industries (CIB) timber concession areas, has resulted in increased malnutrition among children and vulnerable adults. CIB is the largest timber company in the country with five timber concessions covering 1.3 million hectares. The government, CIB and the Wildlife Conservation Society based in New York are enforcing the animal poaching ban within the concession areas. However, the Baka and human rights groups say this has jeopardised the Baka traditional way of life and threatens their food security. "This makes life very difficult for us since our livelihood depends essentially on the meat we hunt, as our ancestors used to do," said Edmond Mondzoumbe, a leader of Ibamba village, 150 km northwest of the industrial city of Pokola. "We have the feeling that the people who work for wildlife conservation have decided to kill us." Mondzoumbe said the government, CIB and the Wildlife Conservation Society should be seeking a compromise that supports sustainable wildlife management and conservation while preserving the livelihoods and customs of the Baka. He added that just a few years ago, before the hunting ban was implemented, the Baka had enough game meat to eat. Hunting is banned between 1 November and 30 April of each year. "Chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants are protected but the other animals are not, and we can hunt them to feed ourselves," said Roland Mangue, one of the Baka affected by the ban.

A blanket animal hunting ban has made life even more difficult for the Baka community, an indigenous hunter-gatherer society living in the rain forests of the Republic of Congo.

Human rights violated The Baka in the northern administrative divisions of Sangha and Likouala are divided into several subgroups, the Bambendzele being the largest. Some villagers have complained that game park rangers have manhandled those found with game meat and sent others temporarily to jail. "They abuse people, ransack their huts and even examine the meat in the cooking pot," Mangue said. "Every time they hear a gunshot, they raid in order to punish someone." The Baka, whose average height is 1.5 metres, usually hunt with nets or bows and arrows. They cannot afford modern firearms, so they use guns loaned them by the Bantu, who constitute the larger and dominant communities. The Baka also exchange game meat for agricultural produce or second-hand clothes from those communities. Mondzoumbe said it seemed that the authorities had singled out the Baka. "The most surprising thing with the game rangers who deal ruthlessly with us is that they are very lenient with the Bantu," he added. A member of the researcher team of the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights, Suzanne Somboko, who toured the CIB concession areas in the north, agrees that the ban, as it affects the Baka is discriminatory. "While people face starvation in the middle of the forest, game meat is served every day in restaurants in Pokola, Ndoki and Ouesso," Somboko said. A CIB engineer in Pokola, Jean-Michel Ngongo, also described the behaviour of the game rangers as unacceptable. "Under Congolese law and under the agreements CIB signed with the government, CIB has agreed to respect the customs of the people who live in the forest," he said. "CIB is involved in the fight against poaching but, at the same time, should try to promote activities to replace hunting." In an effort to resolve the issue, a civil society organisation consulted indigenous groups in Sangha from 27 September to 8 October. The aim was to solicit their opinion so that a bill could be drafted and tabled before parliament to protect the groups' interests. A seven-member team, consisting of local advocacy organisations held talks for 10 days with the semi-nomadic communities living in or around the CIB concessions in Sangha. Among these advocacy groups were the Association of Congolese Indigenous Groups (APAC), the Junior Law Society, the Association of Congolese Women Jurists, and the Forum for Governance and Human Rights. Stephanie Jeanne Mayinguidi, a member of the Association of Congolese Women Jurists said the meetings focused on the problems caused by the timber industry, the impact of the protected areas on people's lives, and the people's access to state services and citizenship rights. "At this stage, the best thing is to take everything into account," Mayinguidi said. "Then we will see, after having analysed the data, which elements to put into the future bill." She said consultations would be expanded to include all administrative districts where the Baka live. According to Manasse Kanquaye, a researcher and programme director with the Junior Law Society, other citizens and the security forces need to treat the Baka justly. "When we were in the field, people asked for a census and a registry identification office in order to have their right to nationality and [property] ownership registered," Kanquaye said. "The bill will solve this major issue."