Authorities in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated on Thursday that suspected militiamen were responsible for the deaths of a technician and three rangers from the renowned Virunga National Park.
The oldest nature reserve in Africa, Virunga is a huge area on the border with Uganda and Rwanda. It is famous across the world as a haven for endangered species, including mountain gorillas.
The park is also used by militia, of which dozens are active in eastern Congo.
Armed men thought to be “Mai-Mai” fighters attacked a “convoy of technicians assigned to development projects” on Thursday morning in North Kivu province’s Lubero territory, according to the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN).”Mai-Mai” is a term used in the DRC to refer communal militias.
According to the ICCN, six individuals were injured in the attack, which also claimed the lives of three park rangers and one technician.
Four individuals were slain, according to Colonel Alain Kiwewa Mitela, the military governor in Lubero region.
He further stated that the incident took place close to Kivale, a community beyond the boundaries of Virunga National Park.
“It is the Mai-Mai who are trying to control these places, but our armed forces are making efforts to subdue them,” he said.
Eastern DRC has been plagued by armed groups for decades as a result of local conflicts that erupted in the 1990s and 2000s.
Since resuming hostilities in the area in late 2021, the M23 rebels have taken control of substantial portions of the park.