Chapter 14: Animals in a Concrete Jungle
Friday - Day 15 of the Rebel Advance
The black phone mounted on the wall of the surgical room was ringing. Its loud tones drifted down the hall, but no one was free to answer it. It continued to ring for several more minutes, until John finally managed to get a free second to pick up the receiver.
"Hello," he said as he leaned against the cool wall trying to relax.
"John, can…hear me?" asked a familiar voice on the other line. The connection was full of static and he could barely make out what was being said.
"Debbie?" he shouted. "Can you hear me?"
"John," she said desperately. "The government has…flights to Kisangani."
"What?"
"The government has suspended all flights to Kisangani."
"Why?" he asked, but she didn't seem to hear him.
"They will use antiaircraft…to shoot down any…that defies the ban. We can't get to you. Tell Kem and the others that I'm sorry. The situation is…", but the line died before she could complete her sentence.
"Debbie? Debbie?" he shouted again, but there was no answer. He pressed the reset lever on the phone and dialed the number of the ICRC office in Kinshasa, but the line was busy. He slammed the phone down, pulled his GSM phone from his pocket, tried the same number, but once again he was rewarded with the same result.
He shoved the mobile phone back into his pocket, and stormed off to find Angelique who was doing rounds in the busy clinic.
The wounded refugees from the Southern area of the country had started arriving five days ago. At first, there had only been a trickle, but that number had increased until there was a steady stream that was now starting to overwhelm the tiny clinic's resources.
The new arrivals' stories had all been pretty much the same. They all talked of heavy fighting between the rebels and government forces – fighting that always seemed to result in a rebel victory and their continued advancement towards Kisangani.
John found Angelique finishing up the dressing on an abdominal stab wound that they operated on a few hours earlier. As she turned to look at him, he knew that her haggard face mirrored his own weariness. Angelique could see that John was agitated.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
John took her arm gently, but firmly and led her into the surgical area.
"Debbie just called," he said urgently. "Even though it was difficult to hear her, I was able to make out that the government has suspended all flights between the capital and Kisangani. On top of that the phone lines between here and capital seem to be continuously busy."
The news caught Angelique off guard, but she recovered quickly.
"Okay," she said decisively. "Call Kem on your GSM phone and tell her what's happened and that we all need to meet later. I'll get the group together here."
"What's happening?" he asked as he started to comply with her instructions.
"I don't know, but I don't think that this is any normal fighting," she said.
As she walked off to find Charles, Abe and Uwe, she willed herself not to run. Running would likely alarm the patients and their family members and she didn't need that. However, her intuition told her to be concerned…very concerned.
It was early evening and a cool breeze blew over the group of friends through the windows of the open air patio at Karibu. The group decided to meet there because the clinic was filled to capacity and there wasn't any free space available there that was large enough for all them to talk comfortably and privately.
James, the club's owner, brought them a tray loaded with refreshments. In about an hour, the club would be wall-to-wall with patrons, but right now it was closed. When John had called him earlier that afternoon, James said that he would be happy to help and he knew that this would be a perfect time for them to meet.
"Why would the government suspend all flights?" Uwe asked worriedly. He was due to return to Germany in three weeks, and it seemed inconceivable to him that he might be stuck in the Congo and in the middle of a war zone.
At first, no one in the group could bring themselves to answer Uwe's question, but Charles eventually spoke.
"Five years ago the fighting came within twenty miles of the city. At that time, the government suspended all civilian flights. Now, I admit that it is a bit unusual for them to suspend all flights, but it may not mean much," he said as he tried to calm Uwe's fears.
"I was able to use my GSM phone to get through to my grandparents in Kinshasa," Kem said in a reassuring voice. "It took a few tries but I managed it. Unfortunately, I still couldn't get in contact with Debbie at ICRC headquarters, but that could just be because the lines are very busy," she added quickly. "Plus, I called the FedEx office in Mbandaka and they confirmed that they are still sending drivers to pick up and deliver packages from Kisangani. And they have no plans to stop flying those packages from there to Kinshasa. So we're not completely cut off."
"Then why are the land lines always busy?" asked Uwe.
"The government has probably confiscated some of the lines for their use, which in turn has caused all civilian traffic to be relayed over few remaining connections," she replied.
"There's also another possible reason," Charles began. However, before he continued he looked directly at Kem and asked, "Can I say it aloud with James here?"
She nodded. She believed that James was trustworthy and that he needed to know all of the details.
Charles turned to James and said, "The Deputy Minister of Communication in Kisangani told Kem that the government is planning an offensive to crush the rebels once they get to within a hundred miles of the city. That would mean that the government will likely implement that plan in about five days."
Charles continued, "If the government is planning an offensive, then it sounds like they are moving troops in from the West instead of marching the troops down from the North. That way, they don't have worry about marching troops through the city and alarming the residents. If they are moving troops in from the West, then it would take about four to five days for them to accomplish that trip depending on the size of the force."
"Hmmm," Kem said. "That would certainly explain why they've suspended flights between here and Kinshasa but not between Mbandaka and Kinshasa."
She saw the confusion on Uwe's, Angelique's and John's faces so she continued her explanation.
"Mbandaka lies directly North of Kinshasa so flights between there and Kinshasa always take a North-South route that never brings them as far East as Kisangani. However, flights between Kinshasa and Kisangani would take an East-West route that may expose the government's troop movements to possible observation from the air even if they are not using the main roads."
"Shut down air traffic so that no one can report about your troops' position, but leave the roads open so that no one becomes too suspicious…brilliant," Charles said but there was no enthusiasm in his voice.
"Well whoever's managing this thing is doing a good job of making sure that the local populace stays unaware of the magnitude of what's happening," James agreed.
Charles nodded and then clapped Uwe on the back. "In any case my friend," he said confidently, "you should be able to get a flight out of here in three weeks because this nonsense should be over by then."
"So what do we do about the camp?" Abe inquired. He was satisfied by the explanations, but in the days since the refugees had started arriving, they had managed to convince the camp leaders to go with their plan for relocation, and he knew that they would have to tell the leaders something. Especially, since they were supposed to start the relocation process three days from now.
"I think that we focus on putting Kem's Plan B into action," John said brightly. "We know that we here in the city will be pretty safe, but it sounds like the camp's inhabitants are still in danger."
"Unfortunately," Kem said, "it may not be as easy as all that. Two weeks ago, I had my eye on three UN trucks that could carry 20 – 25 people each. However, when I called today, I was told that two of the trucks are out of commission for the next two weeks, and that the other truck is on its way to Bukavu and won't be back until ten days from now."
John leaned back in his chair and asked, "So what's our outlook on alternative transportation?"
Charles searched his mind and his knowledge of logistical supplies in the area, and then responded. "Not good," he said. "Trucks of that size aren't easy to come by, but that's the size that we'll need if we hope to get everyone moved before the end of next week."
"There is one possible solution," James proposed tentatively. "However, it will require money and lots of it. And it's a bit on the dangerous side."
Angelique swallowed hard because she knew what James was about to suggest, and she knew that she could not take part in any of it.
"You're talking about smugglers and the black market," she said with quiet anger.
"Ah, I agree with Angelique. I don't think that's the way we should go at all," Kem said emphatically.
"What other choices do we have?" John asked impatiently.
"If no legal way presents itself then we'll evacuate the camp on foot," she told him stubbornly.
"And I say that we leave that option as a last resort," replied John sternly. "If we're going to save people's lives then let's go about it the right way. Marching sick people and amputees on foot could engager their lives even more."
"Yes, but to use smugglers could put you at risk," she countered defiantly.
"Look," and he softened his voice a little, "the black market is part of the way of life here. Most of us do our best to avoid it, but I think that now is the time to make an exception."
He turned to James and asked, "Do you have someone in mind?"
"There is someone," he said slowly. "No one is certain of his real name, but on the streets he goes by Kingugwa."
"Kingugwa," John repeated as he tried to wrap his tongue around the unfamiliar word.
"It's Swahili for hyena."
"The hyena," John repeated doubtfully. "Does he have a really odd laugh or something?"
"He's called the hyena," James explained, "because he's good at scavenging. And whether he is scavenging for you or from you, he is always smiling."
"Charming," replied John dryly. "Is he trustworthy?"
This time it was Charles who spoke.
"I know of him," Charles said. "And while he's not the kind of fellow that I would want to call a friend, he has established a reputation as the most reliable smuggler in the region. Unfortunately, he is also the most expensive."
Angelique shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Although, she admired the fact that Charles was able to obtain rare supplies, she wasn't always comfortable with his methods.
James looked at John and added to Charles statement. "Kingugwa has established an impressive reputation for being able to obtain hard to find goods, and I know that both the government and Mai Mai forces have been known to rely on him. So both parties usually give his customers a wide margin of respect." James looked at Kem as he hoped that this last statement would allay some of Kem's fears.
"Can you get in contact with him?" asked John.
"I can arrange a meeting," James confirmed. "However, we should decide how many trucks we'll need first. Do we want three?"
"No", John said. "I think that will be too few at this point. I think the more trucks that we have the better off we'll be since that will mean that we can move people faster and get this over with sooner." He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about the situation.
"Well," John said finally, "I think that the number of trucks we get should depend on how many drivers we have", and he started to look at each individual member of the group.
"Well you can count me out," Angelique said curtly. "What you're proposing is a dangerous thing, and I still think that marching on foot is your better option."
John didn't' say anything to this because he knew that once Angelique had made up her mind about something there wasn't much that one could do to change it.
He looked at Kem next. She was staring down at the table with her chin resting on her clasped hands. Even though, he could not see her face clearly, it was apparent to him that she was agonizing over this plan. When she finally looked up she seemed startled to discover that everyone was looking expectantly at her.
"You know that I'd never let you do this alone," she said quietly to John. And it was clear that, despite her decision to help, she was still disturbed by his decision.
He took one of her hands firmly into his own in an effort to reassure her. Then, as he looked at Charles, Abe, Uwe, and James he got nods of assent from each of them that indicated their willingness to participate.
"Abe," Kem called out softly, "since James is going to drive why don't you remain at the clinic. With Charles, John and Uwe gone, Angelique will need all the help that she can get."
"I think that's a good idea too," John agreed. "So we have five drivers, which means that we'll need five trucks. Plus, we'll need extra fuel. I think about 100 gallons should do it."
James rapped firmly on the table. "Alright then," he said, "I will try to arrange a meeting with Kingugwa for tomorrow night".
The group nodded in agreement and they began to disperse; everyone except for Angelique.
She lingered a while longer, shook her head, and started walking back to the clinic alone. She wanted to be alone so that she could think through things. She knew that smugglers are usually safe, but it was still illegal. And anything illegal always carried with it a certain amount of danger.
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