Mai Mai rebels ambushed a park vehicle killing five rangers and the driver. One ranger survived the attack on April 9. Virunga National Park is the home of the highly endangered mountain gorilla (
Gorilla beringei beringei). Virunga is Africa's oldest national park established in 1925. Unfortunately it is also the locus of a long-running civil war in which militias, rebels, and poachers have killed 175 rangers to date. The attack on Monday, April 9th was the deadliest in the Park's history, coming just a few days after the killing of another range on April 1st. Park authorities said the rangers killed were:
- RANGER Jean de Dieu BYAMUNGU, aged 25
- RANGER Barthelemie KAKULE MULEWA, aged 28
- RANGER Théodore KASEREKA PRINCE, aged 25
- RANGER Liévin MUMBERE KASUMBA, aged 28
- RANGER Kananwa SIBOMANA, aged 22
- ILA MURANDA, aged 30
- Faustin Biriko Nzabakurikiza, on April 1st
A fund has been established to aid the families of rangers who have died in the line of duty. Chief warden, Emmanuel de Merode, issued a statement of condolence in which he praised the fallen for being deeply committed to a better future for eastern Congo.
