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Virunga National Park, on the border with Uganda and
Rwanda, was severely impacted by the Rwandan genocide and
on-going refugee crisis. It served as the battleground in the
Kivu War and continues to support multiple armed groups
who exploit the park’s forest and wildlife resources. The
multitude of military groups operating in this region makes
Virunga one of the most dangerous parks in the DRC. The
groups include the FDLR, URDC, various Mai-Mai groups,
and, until their disbandment in 2013, the M23. The charcoal
trade is one of many lucrative illicit trades in the park, which
also include timber extraction, gold mining, and marijuana
cultivation.
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Nearly two hundred rangers have been killed in
the park since 1996. In 2008, the rangers’ headquarters in
the park was attacked by National Congress for the Defence
of the People (CNDP) militants. One year earlier, militants
murdered seven of the park’s endangered Mountain gorillas
in retaliation for attempts to disrupt illicit production and
trade of charcoal and timber.
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The FDLR controls portions
of the park and regularly conduct operations from the area.
Since 2011 the FDLR have been responsible for the deaths
of 20 rangers in the park. The latest attack, carried out in
January 2014, killed one ranger and injured two others.
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News reports suggest the attack was revenge for increased
patrolling of charcoal production areas.
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The Okapi Wildlife
Reserve lies within the Ituri forest in north-east DRC, near the
borders with South Sudan and Uganda. The site is infamous
for a particularly destructive attack by Mai-Mai “Morgan” in
2012. Mai-Mai Morgan poaches elephants, mines for gold
and other materials in the park, and has committed serious
human rights abuses including forced porterage, mass rape,
kidnapping for ransom, sex slavery, and murder.
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The group
attacked the park headquarters killing at least three people
and 14 highly endangered okapi in revenge for rangers’ efforts
to disrupt their illegal activities in the park.
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