A special judge was appointed to assess the evidence and recommend further action, which could be to proceed with a trial. According to a CAR justice minister, the process could take up to a year, but in an email I received from Emelie Marav, Marav's wife and partner, she says it is more likely to take only a few months to straighten things out. She says authorities know CAWA staff had nothing to do with the killings, but the law in CAR is such that innocence must be proven, and the authorities are basically following procedure. Anyone interested in knowing more can check out the CAWA blog on this at www.cawasafari.wordpress.com.
The incident caused Emelie to shut down CAWA's operations early this season. In an email she sent clients, she expressed confidence that things would be sorted out, but that they did not have the means to continue safaris for 2012. She assured those who did hunt this season that they would receive their trophies on a timely basis.
Some speculate that the murders were committed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which has been terrorizing that region of Africa for more than 20 years. Emelie Marav says the massacre took place more than 150 kilometers from their main camp in an area they have never hunted. "I don't see this as a security threat to us," she says. "The LRA has been present in........(continued)
