Mobanza Mobembo Gérard, (born c. 1985), known as Guyvanho, nicknamed the Butcher of Nouabalé Ndoki, is a Congolese convicted ivory trafficker and poacher. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison for poaching and attempted murder of park rangers, the first criminal sentence and the longest sentence a poacher received in the Republic of the Congo.
Guyvanho | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mobanza Mobembo Gérard 1985 (38–39 years old) |
| Other names | Butcher of Nouabalé Ndoki |
| Citizenship | Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo |
| Occupation(s) | Poacher Ivory trader |
| Years active | 2008–2020 |
| Known for | Longest prison sentence for a poacher in the Republic of the Congo |
| Criminal charges | Attempted murder Ivory trading Poaching Possession of military weapons |
| Criminal penalty | 30 years |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Poaching
editGérard was born around 1985[1] in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then moved to the Republic of the Congo in 2008.[2] He began poaching elephants that year in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, the namesake for the nickname “Butcher of Nouablé Ndoki”.[1] He led a group of about 25 poachers, and they poached at least 500 African forest elephants.[3] Gérard's group were connected to an incident in early 2018, where they were caught with 11 poached elephants. Gérard got away, but three members of his group were arrested, and Gérard had an arrest warrant issued on him.[4] Gérard's group were also connected to an indicent on May 31, 2019, where they shot at park rangers and injured two of them.[2][5]
Prosecutions
editGérard was arrested in May 2018 and was sent jail in Ouésso to await trial. On June 2, 12 days before his trial, he escaped from jail. He was given trial in absentia, and was charged five million CFA franc in damages, and was sentenced to five years in prison.[2]
Gérard was arrested again on July 20, 2019, and was sent back to jail in Ouésso. He attempted to escape, but failed. He was then transferred to jail in Brazzaville.[2]
On August 19, 2020, after a 3-year long investigation, Gérard received a 30-year prison sentence on charges of attempted murder, ivory trading, poaching, and possession of military weapons. He was also required to pay 38 million CFA franc to the rangers he injured. He was the first poacher tried criminally in the Republic of the Congo, as other poachers were tried in civil court, which has maximum sentencing of five years.[6][7] He also received the longest sentence for a poacher in the Republic of the Congo.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Congolese elephant poacher sentenced to 30 years". DW News. Deutsche Welle. 25 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "MEDIA STATEMENT: WCS Commends Congolese Justice System on 30-Year Sentence of Notorious Elephant Poacher and Ivory Trafficker in Republic of Congo". newsroom.wcs.org. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ Bax, Pauline (24 August 2020). "Congo Republic Jails Man Accused of Killing 500 Elephants". Bloomberg News.
- ^ "Congo Imprisons Elephant Poacher for 30 Years | Environment News Service (ENS)" (Press release). 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ "Notorious elephant poacher gets 30-year sentence in Congo". The Animal Reader. 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Prolific elephant poacher jailed for 30 years in Congo Brazzaville". Radio France Internationale. 26 August 2020.
- ^ Cockburn, Harry (26 August 2020). "Congo elephant poacher jailed for 30 years in landmark case". The Independent.