Published on : Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Virunga National Park, long been inundated by poachers and oil companies, was closed in July 2017 when two tourists from the UK were kidnapped and detained for three days. A ranger who wanted to rescue them was shot and killed by a Congolese militia.
Gunmen hit a vehicle carrying the tourists from the city of Goma to their accommodation in the national park.
However park officials remain firm about new security measures which signify that the park is safe to visit. Virunga reopened to tourists on Friday.
“We have taken enough time to be sure of an improvement of security for visitors,” Virunga’s director, Emmanuel de Merode, told Reuters.
It is one of the oldest national parks in Africa and largest tropical rainforest reserve, covering 7,800 square kilometers.
Warfare in eastern Congo between 1996 and 2003 took millions of lives, mainly through hunger and disease. From the time tourism was relaunched in 2014, Virunga has received over 17,000 visitors.
A 2014 documentary on Netflix that emphasized on the conservation work of the park rangers attracted attention and threw light on the plight of the park with the various special interests at play there.
However, militia still exercise power over large areas of the territory in and around Virunga, and over 175 rangers have been killed so far.
“We continue to work on putting the security of our personnel and our visitors at the core of our operations,” Mr de Merode said.
Tags: Virunga national park