A UN Debate About Ukraine Somehow Became an Argument About Stolen Gorillas

While the United Nations Security Council held an emergency session vote on Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s permanent Representative to the United Nations went off script and accused Rwanda of stealing gorillas and chimpanzees from DRC forests, but gave no evidence.

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja accused neighbouring Rwanda of occupying his country between 1998 to 2003 and committing atrocities, including plundering the Congolese economy and stealing primates. Mr Nzongola-Ntalaja pointed to Rwanda’s exports of gold and coltan, which he claimed came from Congo, and ‘many other resources’. The diplomat went on to add: “They even take chimpanzees and gorillas from the Congolese forests, taking them to Rwanda – all of this is well known.”

In a video of the exchange, Rwandan envoy Robert Kayinamura appeared to laugh off the accusation that took place at a debate on Wednesday that was supposed to focus on the more pressing matter of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“These allegations... every time there is no flowing water – it is Rwanda, there’s no electricity – it is Rwanda, there’s no roads – it is Rwanda… We need to move beyond that kind of mentality,” Kayinamura said.

But who really owns the primates?

The rare mountain gorillas are only found in the Virunga massif, a range of extinct volcanoes that straddles the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They move freely within the three countries.

Decades of armed conflict and political instability in the region have seen the gorilla populations dwindle to near extinction. Experts expected the mountain apes to be extinct by the end of the 20th century, but in 2018, their status was changed from “critically endangered” to “endangered” due to a notable population increase. Rwanda has adopted aggressive conservation and protection efforts for the gorillas, which seems to have paid off.

Tactics including charging tourists $1,500 a go to take selfies with gorillas has meant the country can boost investment in conservation projects. In 2005, Rwanda began officially naming mountain gorillas in special ceremonies. Since then, more than 350 mountain gorillas have been named. Today, it is believed that there are more than 1,000 mountain gorillas in the wild.

After the tangent about gorillas, the DRC voted to condemn Russia's attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine. In total, 143 countries backed Wednesday’s resolution affirming Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity. Thirty-five countries abstained, while Russia and four other countries with close ties to Moscow voted against it.