Virunga is a region of tropical highlands, volcanoes and rolling savannah that borders Rwanda and Uganda. Established in 1925 when the country was a Belgian colony, it is the oldest national park in Africa.
However, the government’s negligence created the perfect conditions for the rebels. Since the 1990s, a number of armed groups with different political and economic agendas have settled in Virunga and have engaged in elephant poaching and ivory smuggling.
In addition, some armed groups such as the Mayi-Mayi have also been mining coltan, cassiterite and gold and other mineral resources, damaging the ecosystem. It is saidThey also take civilians as hostages and force them to do this dirty and dangerous work.
frame
Decades of conflict over land, minerals and resources have negatively impacted the region’s wildlife.
“In August we lost a silverback gorilla; the circumstances of the death are not known due to the inaccessibility of the area,” said Mukiranya, who was informed of the tragic event by a local.
“To the sound of boots and weapons, gorillas react like humans do—they run to a place of calm,” he said.
“In the past, some groups of gorillas have even crossed the border into Rwanda because of scavengers fighting, driving them out of their natural habitat.
“Gorilla habitat has been reduced due to deforestation and agricultural expansion. Despite this, 50% of African terrestrial species Still calling the park home, forest and savannah elephants, hippos, okapis and lions top the list. ”
auction
Park conservationists claim that more bird species are found in the 790,000-hectare Virunga than in the entire United States, a testament to the richness of the place.
The region’s mineral resources have not gone unnoticed by state leaders, either. Although the park is not controlled, earlier this year the DRC government announced plans to auction oil blocks that overlap with the reserve.
The oil discovery is said to bring economic development to the people of Congo, one of the five poorest countries in the world. According to the World Bank, nearly 64% of people will live on $2 a day in 2021.
cease fire
For John Primo, a young environmentalist and artist from the city of Goma, “it makes no sense to drill for oil in the park because it causes global warming”. He works to stop these destructive plans.
Any oil exploration will only accelerate deforestation rate In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is currently second only to Brazil.
For over 20 years, different approaches have been proposed to address insecurity, but the problem remains unsolved.
There have been numerous talks and ceasefire agreements within Congo, and fighters have been targeted by joint military operations between the DRC and some of its neighbours.
confrontation
None of these initiatives has led to substantive progress in establishing a lasting peace in the eastern part of the country.
Civilian and wildlife alike have been hit by fierce fighting between the Congolese army and the rebel group M23.
The Congolese government refuses to negotiate with the opponent until the opponent withdraws from the areas it holds. It also accused Rwanda of helping the group, raising the risk of a military confrontation between the two neighbours.
The majority of the Congolese people remain convinced of the need for a lasting peace and are ready to protest, even risk imprisonment.
If the gorillas and the forests are to be saved, good governance and respect for human rights must be in place alongside serious peace initiatives.
the author
Robert Bociaga is a journalist and photographer focusing on the Global South.He has an LLM and tweets at @BociagaRobert
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