Heavy fighting between DR Congo's army and rebels erupted at 3.30am today around the Gorilla Sector in Virunga National Park, according to Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park for the Congolese Wildlife Authority.
Mortar and grenade fire have been exchanged non-stop all day between the army and the rebels, the reverberrations of which can be heard in the park and the Gorilla Sector. De Merode said at present there was no intention to evacuate the Rangers but that if the situation worsened they would leave the park station that is in close proximity to the fighting.
"This latest escalation of the conflict undermines our efforts to resume our work in the Gorilla Sector. It is almost 1 year to the day since this conflict started, but we are as determined as ever to get back in. It is critical that we know the status of the mountain gorillas," said de Merode.
Fighting between rebels, loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda, and the army has been ongoing in this area for 1 year , but the situation had calmed in recent months following January peace talks between armed groups in eastern DRC. Rangers however have been unable to patrol the Gorilla Sector for 12 months.
This sector - known as the Mikeno Sector - was attacked repeatedly in 2007 during which 10 mountain gorillas were killed. It was attacked in January 2007, when two Silverbacks were killed. An adult female was executed in June 2007 and in July 2007, 5 were massacred causing an international outcry. In September a dead infant female was found in the hands of alleged traffickers.
Some 1,100 Wildlife Rangers protect the National Parks of Eastern Congo, a region affected by a 10-year civil war and current political instability. These parks are home to mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and rhinos. The Rangers have remained active in protecting these parks, four of which have been classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Mountain Gorillas are critically endangered, with only 700 remaining in the world, about 380 in the Virunga Volcanoes Conservation Area (shared by DRC, Rwanda and Uganda ) and 320 in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. Despite the conflict in the region, their decline had been reversed up until January 2007 thanks to international support and courageous conservationists coupled with the popularity of gorilla-watching tourism. At September 2007 there were 72 habituated Mountain Gorillas in DR Congo.
The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) and its Rangers work throughout the country to protect the National Parks of Congo and their wildlife from poachers, rebel groups, illegal miners and land invasions. Over 150 Rangers have been killed in the last 10 years protecting the 5 parks of eastern DRC, and Rangers worked throughout the civil war without receiving a salary.
Virunga National Park, Africa ’s oldest national park (established in 1925) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, is home to 200 of the world’s mountain gorillas. Formerly known as Albert National Park, Virunga lies in eastern DR Congo and covers 7,800 square kilometers.
