warden message
kigali, rwanda
14 december 2007
the u.s. embassy hereby informs american citizens in rwanda that all non-essential travel to the province of north kivu, democratic republic of congo (drc) should be deferred until further notice.
according to media reports, as well as information provided by the UN mission in congo (MONUC) and the u.s. embassy representative in goma, the armed forces of the democratic republic of the congo (FARDC) stepped up military action against general laurent nkunda and his forces, using helicopter gunships and heavy artillery in the area of mushake on 04 december. nkunda loyalists are moving from kabati and kilolirwe towards kichanda and further north. movements of forces on both sides, build-up of government troops, and continued clashes are expected. numerous civilians are fleeing the region.
american citizens in rwanda who are considering traveling into the DRC are advised to closely monitor local and international news from reliable sources for updated reports. radio okapi broadcasts in french on 103.5 fm at 0700, 0800, 1200 and 1800 as well as flash broadcasts throughout the day. english language news can be found on BBC at 92.6 FM.
additionally, american citizens are urged to review and update their personal and professional emergency plans, and take necessary precautions to avoid being caught in dangerous situations.
i guess we're not in brooklyn anymore!
taken from the lovely and non-threatening email i receive late last evening in belgium, regarding the area in western rwanda where i will be spending next weekend before returning home. how nice! how relaxing! how will i make it back in one piece!
i am back in kigali, rwanda - feeling like i never left!
i’m up early in bruxelles, quickly enjoying a yummy european breakfast (cheese!!!). i am the only one in the gym, go figure, as it is pitch black outside (7 am, but in reality it is still dark at 8:30 in the morning!). as i’m traveling light, i quickly shower and presto, change-o, i’m packed up and checked out.
i cross the footpath to the airport, say a quick hi to debbie via phone, and i’m set to go ... brussels airlines flight to nairobi, which drops me in kigali on the way (thanks!). despite my vehement protests, my tiny carry-on bag is wrestled from my arms - too heavy i’m told, at a whopping 13 kilograms (they only allow 10 kg per passenger in the cabin during the holiday season, for fear of the probable overloading which would otherwise occur!). so now i am really traveling light ...
a flyover of strange proportions ... belgium, luxembourg, france, germany, switzerland (snow-capped alps, not even looking real!), italy, and out over the azul mediterranean ...
we cross into africa, not at egypt (as in the summer) but rather directly over tripoli, libya. a bit further south and we’re over the sahara, perfectly clear with sand dunes and all - gorgeous afternoon light, no roads or signs of civilization visible below. we fly onto chad, a bit further west of darfur, over a giant meteoric crater, and huge red outcrops appear - then they’re gone, and so are we ... central african republic (did you know this country existed?), through democratic republic of congo (see above!) and into rwanda ... home.
it's great to be back ... alain and sifa are there with big smiles to greet me, and we immediately fall back into familiar ways, laughing, talking about african politics, ngo's, the united nations, etc.. i blink and we're at the serena, kigali's fancy hotel, where as it turns out there is the big celebration of kiki's sister's wedding (kiki is the lead architect in rwanda responsible for our project).
i check in quickly, have a brief chat with jane, who is having 'tea with the girls', and scurry downstairs for a big draft beer, lamb and vegetarian samosas, and some lively banter with sifa on the terrace by the pool.
upstairs in my familiar surroundings, i unpack and prepare for tomorrow - it's late, well past midnight, time to turn in ...
as they say, kisses from kigali!
h
according to media reports, as well as information provided by the UN mission in congo (MONUC) and the u.s. embassy representative in goma, the armed forces of the democratic republic of the congo (FARDC) stepped up military action against general laurent nkunda and his forces, using helicopter gunships and heavy artillery in the area of mushake on 04 december. nkunda loyalists are moving from kabati and kilolirwe towards kichanda and further north. movements of forces on both sides, build-up of government troops, and continued clashes are expected. numerous civilians are fleeing the region.
american citizens in rwanda who are considering traveling into the DRC are advised to closely monitor local and international news from reliable sources for updated reports. radio okapi broadcasts in french on 103.5 fm at 0700, 0800, 1200 and 1800 as well as flash broadcasts throughout the day. english language news can be found on BBC at 92.6 FM.
additionally, american citizens are urged to review and update their personal and professional emergency plans, and take necessary precautions to avoid being caught in dangerous situations.
i guess we're not in brooklyn anymore!
taken from the lovely and non-threatening email i receive late last evening in belgium, regarding the area in western rwanda where i will be spending next weekend before returning home. how nice! how relaxing! how will i make it back in one piece!
i am back in kigali, rwanda - feeling like i never left!
i’m up early in bruxelles, quickly enjoying a yummy european breakfast (cheese!!!). i am the only one in the gym, go figure, as it is pitch black outside (7 am, but in reality it is still dark at 8:30 in the morning!). as i’m traveling light, i quickly shower and presto, change-o, i’m packed up and checked out.
i cross the footpath to the airport, say a quick hi to debbie via phone, and i’m set to go ... brussels airlines flight to nairobi, which drops me in kigali on the way (thanks!). despite my vehement protests, my tiny carry-on bag is wrestled from my arms - too heavy i’m told, at a whopping 13 kilograms (they only allow 10 kg per passenger in the cabin during the holiday season, for fear of the probable overloading which would otherwise occur!). so now i am really traveling light ...
a flyover of strange proportions ... belgium, luxembourg, france, germany, switzerland (snow-capped alps, not even looking real!), italy, and out over the azul mediterranean ...
we cross into africa, not at egypt (as in the summer) but rather directly over tripoli, libya. a bit further south and we’re over the sahara, perfectly clear with sand dunes and all - gorgeous afternoon light, no roads or signs of civilization visible below. we fly onto chad, a bit further west of darfur, over a giant meteoric crater, and huge red outcrops appear - then they’re gone, and so are we ... central african republic (did you know this country existed?), through democratic republic of congo (see above!) and into rwanda ... home.
it's great to be back ... alain and sifa are there with big smiles to greet me, and we immediately fall back into familiar ways, laughing, talking about african politics, ngo's, the united nations, etc.. i blink and we're at the serena, kigali's fancy hotel, where as it turns out there is the big celebration of kiki's sister's wedding (kiki is the lead architect in rwanda responsible for our project).
i check in quickly, have a brief chat with jane, who is having 'tea with the girls', and scurry downstairs for a big draft beer, lamb and vegetarian samosas, and some lively banter with sifa on the terrace by the pool.
upstairs in my familiar surroundings, i unpack and prepare for tomorrow - it's late, well past midnight, time to turn in ...
as they say, kisses from kigali!
h
No comments:
Post a Comment