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Two rangers killed in an attack on the famous reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | The Guardian Nigerian News
Two rangers were killed and another wounded by suspected militants in the world-famous Virunga National Park in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said Saturday.
Virunga, a large tract on the border with Uganda and Rwanda, is the oldest nature reserve in Africa and is recognized worldwide as a sanctuary for rare species, including mountain gorillas.
But it also serves as a hideout for armed groups active in the region for years.
The rangers were patrolling in the central sector of the park when they came under attack, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said.
The dead rangers were 29 and 31 years old. A third was injured and was taken to hospital.
The ICCN said the attackers were suspected of being “mai-mai”, a generic term used in the Democratic Republic of Congo to describe ethnic militias.
Unrest has plagued eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, with more than 120 armed groups roaming the mineral-rich region.
M23 rebels, who have seized swaths of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months, have invaded large sections of the park.
Credit: https://guardian.ng/news/two-rangers-killed-in-attack-in-famed-dr-congo-reserve/
