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Six other people were injured, the spokesperson told AFP, adding that four other civilians passing through the area were also attacked.
FILE: Park rangers in the Virunga National Park. Image: Virunga.org
GOMA – At least 12 rangers were killed in an attack Friday in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a park spokesperson said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks in the park, the oldest and most biologically diverse protected area in Africa.
Six other people were injured, the spokesperson told AFP, adding that four other civilians passing through the area were also attacked.
A security source spoke of a death toll of 13 rangers and five civilians.
Spanning 7,800 square kilometers along the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, Virunga is home to a world-famous population of mountain gorillas, but has been affected by increasing instability and violence .
Opened in 1925, the park has witnessed repeated attacks by rebel groups, militias, and poachers.
Visits to the park have been suspended since March 19 for at least 30 days in an attempt to stop the new coronavirus pandemic in DR Congo.
The park banned visitors between May 2018 and early last year after two British tourists were kidnapped there. They were later released, but a ranger was killed during the kidnapping.
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