BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Assailants killed at least three rangers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, an official said, near a national park which is home to half the global population of endangered mountain gorillas and the scene of frequent militia attacks.
One engineer was reported missing and three wounded in the attack, which took place as the vehicles of the Congo Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) left Kivandya village in North Kivu province, where dozens of armed militia groups are active.
“We don’t know who the perpetrators are,” said local administrator Alain Kiwewa, adding that the attackers took arms with them as they fled.
The ICCN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The conservation group often carries out electrical maintenance jobs around the area and is mainly tasked with protecting the nearby Virunga national park.
Virunga has been caught in the middle of militia activity left over from civil wars fought around the turn of the century.
The ICCN warned of a resurgence of violence in February after suspected Mai Mai militants attacked a ranger position in Virunga, killing one and injuring two.
(Reporting by Erikas Mwisi and Sonia Rolley; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Bhargav Acharya and Nick Macfie)
