European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 01, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                T by Donald j. Frederick National geographic a a a it. A a a Nasty Little War in the african nation of. _ Rwanda has guerrillas menacing gorillas. Fighting Between the government and rebel. Forces infiltrating from neighbouring Uganda has spread into Rwanda a volcanoes National Park Horae of the endangered Mountain Gorilla. A the tribal warfare pits huts who control the _ government against Tutsi exiles from Uganda _ the gorillas May get caught in the Middle. _ the 46-Square-mile Park set aside for the animals a nestles on the slopes of the Snow capped Vir Unga mountains which form a Section of the Borders Between Rwanda Uganda and  cloaks the volcanic mountains a Brilliant yellow Senecio plants tangles of vines and forests of Bamboo and Lobelia 12-foot-High plants that resemble candles set in Long stemmed holders. About 315 gorillas roam the Region and at least 120 of them spend much of their time in the Park so far the Parks Kar Soke research Center founded by the late Dian Fossey for the study of the gorillas Hasni to been damaged by the fighting. A a a a everything Sall right at Kar Soke and we Haven t heard of any Gorilla casualties but mortars Are going off in the Park Quot said Dia Jfe Doran the Center s current director in a Telephone d interview from the capital  a a it a got to be a very stressful experience for the Arii Mals with this fighting going on in their habitat Quot _ Doran said. T there  to be any Mountain gorillas to worry about today were it not for the efforts of Fossey the Primat Logist who spent 18 years studying the animals a and saving them from the weapons of Quot poachers and the encroachment of humans in s. Overpopulated Rwanda. Fossey moved among the gorillas almost As one of them. Her Field work supported by the National _ geographic society did much to reveal their peaceful nature. Fossey was murdered at her Camp in 1935. A since civil War broke out in Rwanda last october marauding rebels have damaged conservation facilities near the Park destroying administration buildings and ransacking a veterinary clinic for the gorillas in the Small town of Kinigin which serves As a Gateway to the Park. Quot conservation and tourist efforts Are Hamstrung including the Protection veterinary care Ong no studies. And Gorilla visitations Quot says Ruth Keesling pres Dent of the digit fund a Colorado based conservation group Quot we re also worried that stress of the fighting May Causa the breakup of family groups of the  a National geographic the spread of disease among the animals is also a threat. Quot they Are Beang exposed to incredible amounts of human bacteria and disease agents by All that activity in the Park,.�?� says Diana Mcmee Kiri of the african wildlife foundation Quot that could be a serious problem after the fighting Steps Quot a an outbreak of a respiratory disease in 1988 killed six Goulias. Autopsies re sated that one had been infected with measles. The a us was probably transmitted by humans. To a _ conservationists Are also concerned about the world s Only other sizable population of Mountain gorillas some 320 living in Uganda in a separate Region nearly 20 m i fes North of the Park. Quot any activities that harm gorillas or reduce the a conservation Effort in Rwanda such As the present War obvious by threaten the survival of gorillas in Uganda a _ game Reserve a says Thomas Butynski of the world wide fund for nature. Quot Many ugandans Are now concerned Over the so veal of the precious Goriflaetruly awesome animals Verild Mountain gorillas can live w$7, ithe gorillas live in close knit families that could be threatened by the fighting in the Park. No Finol geographic a Young Mountain Gorilla shows his acceptance of the late Dian Fossey. 60 years grow to 5 feet 5 inches tall and weight More than 350 pounds. Their powerful arms May Span 7 feet. They Seldom fight Over food territory or sex but male Gorilla leaders called Silver backs will always risk Battle to maintain the cohesiveness  group. Through Force of character these leaders hold together families of supporting males Breeding females and Young. A a loss of such leaders in the current fighting could a destroy family groups with devastating results. _ keeping a Gorilla family together in Rwanda has never been easy. With almost 7 million people crammed within Maryland sized Borders Rwanda is Africa s most densely populated nation. _ a the first time i visited Rwanda and saw All those i people on the Road i thought they must be escaping from a natural disaster Quot recalls Mcmeekin. -. Quot then i realized there s a Stream of humanity moving All the time. I sometimes feel they have to keep moving because if they stood still the country would t hold them ail Quot Mcmeekin says. Most rwandans eke out a living on Small farms called Sambas that produce crops such As Coffee Tea potatoes and Beans. Bare and treeless the farms Roll right up to the Park As Many As 780 people May work and live on a Square mile. Of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda a the Hutu the Tutsi and the pygmy Twa a the Hutu make up 85 percent of the population. Farmers by tradition the Hutu were dominated for centuries by the Tutsi a tall lanky Cattie Herdeg people who migrated South to the Region about 500 years Aga from the Horn of Africa a _ in 1959 the Hutu rebelled and seized Power from the Tutsi Many of whom fled to Uganda and other a neighbouring countries. _. Most of the rebels Are Tutsi who Hope to regain a bigger Power base in Rwanda. A it has been estimated that As Many As 250.000 exiles of rwandan origin still live in Uganda essentially stateless. Officials in overpopulated Rwanda argue that the country simply can t take Back thousands of Tutsi _ refugees. Quot a u s state department expert does no to see an easy solution. _. A the conflict has hardened the attitudes  majority population Gamst the minority and made it harder for the government of Rwanda to make concessions to a a them a he says. Quot meanwhile it is hard for the rebels to see a Way in which they can engage in the dialogue that the government has offered to them while. This Hartline attitude  Day May 1,1991the stars and stripes a Page 15