CONGO + CHARCOAL = BLOOD

Hi guys! again and again thank you so much for visiting my spot. As you can see from a previous blog, I love watching NGC, History channel and such that when I watch a show that hits me hard, I need to blog it down.

Last night I was able to watch the show called Shadow Force in History Channel..


So who and what is the Shadow Force? The Shadow Force showcases the history of unconventional military operations through the eyes of an elite team working in the modern day & they also offer first insights of private military operations (From History.com). They do things that no government and aid agencies can do.

The members are the following:

Bob Parr, is the team leader and the counter-terrorism consultant. Also, he is a former United Kingdom Special Forces and the Royal Marines Commando.

sLiM is the team's technical and tactical specialist. He's a former member of the U.S. Special Forces, as well as an Army Ranger.

Laura Engelbrecht is a diplomatic and Central African specialist. She is a former U.S. State Department operations specialist, specializing in intelligence and diplomacy.

Cobus Claassens is a Marine and Naval specialist. A former member of the South African Special Forces. He is an expert in the West Africa region with 20 years of experience.

These were the guys that were present on last night's show. They were helping out the national park rangers in Congo to prevent illegal deforestation in the park in order to save the endangered Gorillas and prevent further destruction in the Park.

I do admire their bravery to go to such a place where corruption, fanatics, gang wars and violence is very rampant in the country (& way overboard, A lot of people die everyday, from rebels, to law makers, to innocent civilians... Think of 24's newest season premier). Also, they are very sensitive to what they say and act to avoid conflict. They were also productive and innovative, being able to create something that my cost a lot for raw materials to an inexpensive road block that is very effective.

Other than that, the reason they also went there is to stop the Illegal trade of Charcoal. Charcoal is very big in Congo as most places in this country are not as well developed as other cities in the world. (You already know what charcoal is used for) Due to the Illegal trade of charcoal, there were a lot of deforestation happening in the country making the forests were Gorillas live in danger.






Yet, there were scenes that made me feel horrible. That was when the rebel found out that the Special Forces were helping the Rangers, They KILLED 5 GORILLAS ASSASSINATION STYLE .

Here's the sad part.

"In October 2008, The Rebel Forces have seized the Ranger's headquarters and have taken full control of the park. The Fight against illegal charcoal trade has been stalled as the entire region is in the brink of war."

It made me sad about seeing that message pop up at the end of the show. Made me appreciate of the simple things that I take for granted. Just when they were able to progress, idiots came along and brought them down. I do hope that this issue would be over soon..

Take care!

xoxo


**images courteys of National Geographic Channel & greendiary.com**