Howard Burditt -- Knowing when to back down

We moved around in pickup trucks known as "technicals" with armed guards. But there were so many gunmen, all paid handsomely in dollars, that there often was room only for one or two Reuters journalists in each vehicle.

 

I felt we needed to cut down on gunmen,and since several of us were leaving on a reporting trip to the interior, Howard offered to sort it out while we were gone.  "Leave it with me," he said. "I'm an African and I know how to handle these things."

 

Upon our return to the capital, there were just as many gunmen, so I asked Howard what had happened.  "It's pretty simple," he said. "They threatened to shoot me if we cut back so they're staying."

 

My sympathies to Howard's family and friends on the sad loss of a man gone too soon.