Bwindi National Park sits on Uganda's southwestern border with Rwanda and Congo, riven by lush green valleys and sprinkled with running streams. It had always been an oasis. But since 1994, as political extremism and military violence began tearing at the region, it has been a transit center for Hutu guerrilla fighters moving in and out of Rwanda. Yet it remained a popular destination for adventure travelers in love with the idea of an Africa blessed with limitless natural beauty.
Early last Monday, death emerged from the wilderness. Deep in the park's misty hills, a band of more than 100 Rwandan Hutu guerrillas, driven into a fury by months of fighting in the ruleless Congo, turned on a group of Western tourists, killing eight (see following story). For the outside world, it was a vivid reminder of the terror that still grips the heart of Africa.
The latest turmoil has its roots in the meltdown of a once hopeful alliance that united four African nations--Uganda, Angola, Rwanda and Burundi--with the promise of establishing a stable, democratic Congo. But the alliance, formed in 1996 to speed the ouster of longtime Congolese leader Mobutu Sese Seko, was split almost instantly by self-interest, greed and ambition. Laurent Kabila, the onetime Congolese rebel installed at the head of the new Congo government, is fighting against three of his ex-allies--Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi--in a desperate war to preserve his rule. The fighting has bled across Congo's border with Angola, and with last week's killings, there is fear it will spread further. Already Africans are starting to place blame. The Hutus who struck in Bwindi aimed their anger at the Americans and British, who they say are plotting to encourage the dominance of their rivals, the Tutsis, in central Africa. It was a shocking message for Westerners, who a year ago hoped that Africa would soon invite them into a new era of stability and peace.
"Here's my business card. Sorry my name is misspelled. A friend made the cards. I have no money." Meet the interim Finance Minister of Congo, Mawampanga Mwana Nanga. He is also the Agriculture Minister. "Every day is a nightmare. The roads go no farther than 60 miles outside the capital. Less than 10% of the country has electricity. People have forgotten how to work together, and too many are corrupt. This country is not a state. It's a mess. Why are we Africans shooting at each other? There is so much work to be done."
The Congo that Kabila inherited was in need of help. The vast river basins and dense rain forests of the Congo, a piece of land the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi, have never been conquered by asphalt or rail ties. Steamers still ply the Congo River, the only efficient means of transport that survived Mobutu's unbenign neglect.
What the Congo could be has been obvious since British explorer Lieut. Verney Cameron captivated Belgium's King Leopold in 1876 with tales of riches. The soil is fertile. There are giant stretches of tropical wood, and an estimated $58 billion of mineral wealth is in the ground.