Conservation Ranger Killed in Virunga National Park, Congo | WGN Radio 720

Democratic Republic of the Congo (AP) — According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Nature Maintenance Institute, armed men attacked Virunga National Park in eastern Congo this weekend, killing rangers in the protected park.

Brigadier General Etienne Mutajimiza Canalcinha (48) when 100 heavily armed men, presumed to be former members of the M23 rebel group, attacked a patrol post near the village of Bukima in North Kivu, Congo, on Saturday night. Was killed. The rest of the rangers escaped unharmed, the statement said.

The institute said it was the second attack in two weeks by the same group operating along the border between Rwanda and Uganda and trying to establish a base in the park. The previous attack was repelled by the Congolese army, but several soldiers were killed.

Virunga National Park is home to the last mountain gorillas in the world, but armed groups such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, Maimai, and M23, known by the French acronym FDLR, regularly manage natural resources in eastern Congo. Are fighting for each other. ..

Earlier this year, shooters killed six rangers. Park spokesman Olivier Mukisha told The Associated Press that in addition to Canalcinha, 22 rangers have been killed by armed groups in the park since last year.

Kanyaruchinya has been working in the laboratory for over 25 years, leaving behind a wife and four children. The Conservation Institute said seeking justice for him “will spare no effort.”

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Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro contributed from Beni, Congo.

Conservation Ranger Killed in Virunga National Park, Congo | WGN Radio 720

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