Burhani Abdou Surumwe, 30; Kamate Mundunaenda Alexis, 25; Maneno Kataghalirwa Reagan, 27; Kibanji Bashekere Eric, 28; Paluku Budoyi Innocent, 28; Nzabonimpa Ntamakiriro Prince, 27.
These are the names of the six guards of the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were shot on Sunday January 10.
These forest keepers are neither combatants nor members of the army. They are citizens who have chosen the protection of this park and of the local populations living nearby and suffering for years from armed conflicts in the region as their profession.
The Virunga National Park, created in 1925, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stretches over 7,800 square kilometers in eastern DRC, between the Virunga mountains in the south and the Rwenzori mountains in the north. It also shares its borders with Rwanda and Uganda.
In fifteen years, the National Virunga park has deplored at least 200 guards killed by local armed groups in the region.
It is a true sanctuary for biodiversity and the last refuge for mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas, two subspecies which are now in danger of extinction because of the threats from poaching, deforestation and armed conflicts. . There is also an oil project within the confines of Virunga Park.
To honor and support the work of these Guardians of Nature, you can make a donation by following this link.
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