At least six eco-guards were killed on Sunday January 10 in an attack by armed men in the Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we learned from the park and officials local.

"Six park wardens died today at 9:30 am following an attack perpetrated by an armed group in the area between Nyamitwitwi and Nyamilima (center of the park)," said in an email message to AFP Olivier Mukisya, communications officer for the Parc des Virunga.

"A park warden was also seriously injured," he added.

A local administrative official said the rangers had been attacked by Mayi-Mayi militiamen.

Theater of conflicts in the troubled region of North Kivu

"The Mai-Mai ambushed the eco-guards at the end of the park, towards Nyamitwitwi. The provisional toll is six park wardens killed and two Mai-Mai fell in these clashes," said Alphonse Kambale, delegated official of the governor in the Nyamilima group.

This assessment was confirmed to AFP by the provincial deputy Elie Nzaghani, an elected official from the region of Rutshuru, where the village of Nyamitwitwi is located.

Guards are regularly attacked by armed men in this mountain gorilla sanctuary.

Maï-Maï is a generic term that designates militiamen formed on a community basis and whose actions range from defending the interests of a group to serious criminality.

Created in 1925, Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This reserve covers more than 7,700 km2, among the landscapes of the tormented history of the province of North Kivu, from Goma to the territory of Beni, between mountains and forests. 

At the foot of the Nyiragongo volcano, the protected area is the refuge of mountain gorillas.

A natural, tourist and threatened jewel, the Virunga are also the scene of the conflicts of the troubled region of North Kivu, where armed groups compete for control of the wealth of the soil and the subsoil.

The park is guarded by 689 armed rangers, at least 200 of whom have been killed in the line of duty, in the recent history of the park, established in 1925, according to its officials.

With AFP

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