Virunga National Park Ranger Attack.
The April 24, 2020, ranger assault at Virunga National Park is one of the park’s most recent and deadly massacres. Thirteen Virunga National Park rangers were shot dead in this ranger assault, along with four civilians and their driver, two more wounded, and one in serious condition. The park has nothing to do with the civilians. The rangers and civilians who were wounded were taken to Goma, where they are being treated.
The rangers discovered a private car that had been assaulted while returning to the park headquarters. The rangers were subsequently ambushed by the shooters, and many of them were murdered in the ensuing fierce assault.
The rebel troops of the Democratic troops for the Liberation of Rwanda, according to park authorities, are responsible for this incident. They ambushed park officers returning to the park headquarters after attacking a civilian car. At 11 a.m., the Virunga National Park rangers attacked on Route Nationale 2, near Rumangabo, the park headquarters, where they were headed.
Although authorities at Virunga National Park think the Rwandan rebel group was responsible for this assault, the organization has not publicly acknowledged this. The number of rangers murdered in this ambush has increased to 175 throughout the years, including the 13 rangers who lost their lives defending and conserving Virunga National Park and its gorillas in particular. About 700 rangers have been hired by the park to serve and protect both the area and its visitors.
Over the years, there have been disturbances in the eastern Congo, especially in Virunga National Park, which served as an ideal hiding place for the majority of rebel organizations. Due of this, the park has been closed to visitors; the most recent closure occurred in 2018, at which time no tourist activities were allowed until early 2019 when everything returned to normal.
Since the primates are thought to be very vulnerable to the current COVID-19 epidemic, the park was closed for medical reasons by the time of the attack a few days ago. Therefore, tourist activities have been halted to protect the gorillas.
The oldest national park in Africa, Virunga National Park, was gazetted as a protected area in 1925 in order to preserve the region’s biodiversity and the then-threatened mountain gorillas. The park, which spans 7800 square kilometers, is situated in the province of Nord Kivu near Goma in the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Virunga Conservation Area, which includes Rwanda and Uganda, includes Virunga National Park. The park, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, is home to more than 706 different species of birds and a variety of fauna, including endangered mountain gorillas that are a popular attraction for tourists, as well as forest elephants and forest pigs.
Visitors from all over the world flock to Virunga National Park to engage in a variety of tourism-related activities, such as gorilla trekking, the Nyiragongo hike to witness the boiling lava lake, bird watching, nature walks, climbing the park’s other volcanic mountains, tracking and acclimating chimpanzees, and cultural encounters, among many others.
By providing a convoy to transport visitors through the park and providing them with the highest level of security while they are there, the park administration guarantees the safety of every visitor. Every year, more than 17,000 people visit Virunga National Park, generating income that supports the national economy.
To help the local people in and around the park improve their standard of living, a portion of the money raised is also donated to them. Additionally, these residents are guaranteed employment and revenue streams in the park, such as working as porters, tour guides, and women’s craftspeople selling products to visitors.
Even if the rangers are now being ambushed, Virunga National Park is still a safe place for tourists to visit. Adventurers seeking authentic African wilderness and off-the-beaten-path travel should make reservations via the park’s website or via reputable tour companies that will guarantee your safety while you’re on vacation.
If a visitor intends to visit Virunga National Park without the assistance of a tour operator, they need ensure that they have a security representative accompanying them to and from the park.
