Virunga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been caught in the middle of militia activity.
Two guards in Virunga National Park have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest bloodshed in the reserve designated a Unesco World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In a statement on Sunday, the park said the two guards “were shot and succumbed to their wounds” in Nyamusengera, a section near the Edward River that marks the border with Uganda.
The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) said the attack is likely attributed to the Mai-Mai, an armed group.
Kambale Muhindo, a worker in Vitshumbi, a fishing village 5km (3 miles) from the site of the attack, told AFP news agency that “a group of poachers wanted to kill a hippopotamus and to protect themselves they ambushed the guards .”
Blaise Kalisha, a human rights activist, said that “six guards were injured and sent to Vitshumbi Catholic Hospital”.
Since 2020, several armed groups have carried out attacks and ambushes on guards in the park.
On May 18 of this year, four park employees, three of whom were guards, were killed. Authorities blamed the same armed group.
The ICCN warned of a resurgence of violence in February after suspected Mai-Mai fighters killed a ranger in a third attack.
Established in 1925, Virunga National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
It is known for its wildlife and landscapes, as it is a vast area of deep forests, glaciers and volcanoes, home to more species of birds, reptiles and mammals than any other protected area in the world. But it is also known to have served as a base for a number of armed groups for more than two decades.
The park has been caught in the middle of militia activity that has destabilized surrounding regions since civil wars at the turn of the century.