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64-586: The territory is mountainous, including a large portion of the Virunga National Park , famous for its mountain gorillas . The territory lies in the Albertine Rift between Lakes Edward and Kivu . The Rutshuru River runs north through the territory, emptying into Lake Edward It is bounded on the north by Lubero Territory and Lake Edward. The eastern boundary is the international border with Uganda , and further south with Rwanda . To

128-792: A "Lion Conservation Unit". The area is considered a potential lion ( Panthera leo ) stronghold, if poaching is curbed and prey species recover. In the national park's northern sector, African leopard ( P. pardus pardus ), marsh mongoose ( Atilax paludinosus ), giant pangolin ( Smutsia gigantea ), tree pangolin ( Phataginus tricuspis ), crested porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ), Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel ( Anomalurus derbianus ), Boehm's bush squirrel ( Paraxerus boehmi ), western tree hyrax ( Dendrohyrax dorsalis ), Emin's pouched rat ( Cricetomys emini ) and checkered elephant shrew ( Rhynchocyon cirnei ) were recorded during surveys in 2008. The Semliki River provides habitat for Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ). Several were observed at

192-535: A 930km journey through the country, visited Rutshuru and gave a speech praising peace. In November 2022, 8 deaths were recorded in the Rutshuru IDP sites in Nyiragongo territory , North Kivu. Of these victims, a 44-year-old woman and seven children died at Kanyaruchinya health center and CBCA Ndosho hospital. In February 2023, a homemade killed a woman and seriously injured another who lost both her legs in

256-586: A civilian convoy. Again in January 2021, armed men killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in the national park. On 22 February 2021, Italy's ambassador to the DRC who was travelling with the World Food Programme about 15km north of Goma, Luca Attanasio , as well as Italian military police officer Vittorio Iacovacci and Congolese driver Moustapha Milambo, were killed in

320-587: A field in the Gisikari Groupement , in the chiefdom of Bwisha in the Rutshuru territory, North Kivu. Many schools in the region have been closed due to the insecurity. School children avoid going to school for fear of being attacked and forcibly recruited into one of the armed groups. Thirty-seven children were recruited in Rutshuru in October 2008. Boys have to fight while girls become "wives" for

384-640: A joint Congolese-Rwandan force. The force was part of a joint Congolese-Rwandan operation which was launched to hunt Rwandan Hutu militiamen operating in DR Congo. Nkunda is currently being held at an undisclosed location in Rwanda. A Rwandan military spokesman has claimed, however, that Nkunda is being held at Gisenyi , a city in Rubavu district in the Western Province of Rwanda. On 26 March 2010,

448-660: A massacre of civilians perpetrated by Ntaganda's forces. Nkunda was arrested on 22 January 2009 after he had crossed into Rwanda. After unsuccessfully attempting to defeat the CNDP militarily, Congolese president Kabila made a deal with President Kagame of Rwanda to allow Rwandan soldiers into the DRC to uproot FDLR militants in exchange for Rwanda removing Nkunda. Rwandan officials have yet to say if he will be handed over to DR Congo, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest. A military spokesperson said he had been seized after sending three battalions to repel an advance by

512-513: A militia attack. Five rangers and a driver were killed in April 2018. Since beginning of the armed conflict, armed groups killed 175 park rangers until April 2018. In May 2018, a ranger was killed when defending two tourists who were kidnapped. They were subsequently released unharmed. As a consequence, the park remained closed to visitors from June 2018 until February 2019. In April 2020 at least 12 park rangers were killed by militia men attacking

576-721: A pastor and member of the church. At times he has visited the church. During the Rwandan genocide , the former psychology student traveled to Rwanda , joining the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) who were fighting against the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), the military of the genocidal Hutu -led government. After the RPF defeated the FAR to become the new government of Rwanda , Nkunda returned to

640-431: A result of tensions produced by Rwandan Interahamwe entering the region following the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. A number of factors have made the problem worse. At a basic level, there is not enough land to go around. Also, influential people have obtained large landholdings during the period of conflict, and some of these are members of the military or the government. Many people rely on customary law for their land titles, while

704-435: A significant role for seed dispersal in the grasslands. The montane forest between 1,800 and 2,800 m (5,900 and 9,200 ft) in the southern sector is dominated by Ficalhoa laurifolia and Podocarpus milanjianus with up to 25 m (82 ft) high trees. African alpine bamboo ( Yushania alpina ) grows at altitudes of 2,300–2,600 m (7,500–8,500 ft). The vegetation above 2,600 m (8,500 ft)

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768-747: Is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is the former warlord (leader of a rebel faction) operating in the province of North-Kivu , and a officer of the Tutsi-dominated government of neighbouring Rwanda . Nkunda, who is himself a Congolese born Tutsi, commanded the former DRC troops of the 81st and 83rd Brigades of the DRC Army . He speaks English , French , Swahili , Kinyarwanda , Lingala and Kinande . On January 22, 2009, he

832-496: Is really a Pentecostal Christian. He says that most of his troops have converted. In the 2008 documentary Blood Coltan about the real costs of mobile phones, Nkunda proudly shows a button he wears that reads "Rebels for Christ." He also claims to receive help and guidance from American "Rebels for Christ" who visit the Congo spreading Pentecostal Christianity. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has denied Nkunda's claims of being

896-610: Is responsible for park management since 2010; about 80% of management costs are subsidised by the EC. Park protection efforts were militarised in the following years to deter armed rebel groups and poachers from operating inside the park. Park personnel are given paramilitary training and high-quality weaponry, and operate together with the military and state security services. These tactics, criticised as " militarization of conservation", has been blamed for further violence and dispossession faced by local indigenous people . Communities, such as

960-501: Is subalpine with foremost African redwood ( Hagenia abyssinica ) growing up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Tree heath ( Erica arborea ), heather and mosses cover humid slopes up to 3,700 m (12,100 ft) elevation. Senecio and Lobelia species grow on vast clearings and attain heights of up to 8 m (26 ft). Virunga National Park's faunal species include 196 mammals , 706 bird species, 109 reptiles and 65 amphibians as of 2012. Primates present in

1024-505: The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. To improve the country's economic situation the government undermined that very protection by auctioning oil exploration blocks inside the park by the end of July 2022. Tullow Oil Plc, TotalEnergies , ENI and China National Offshore Oil Corporation Ltd (CNOOC) were interested in acquiring drilling permissions. Local and global groups, such as Greenpeace , are warning about

1088-619: The First Congo War (1996-1997), followed by the Second Congo War (1998-2003). In these wars Rwanda took an active role in supporting rebels opposed to the government, including supplying troops. Rwanda accused the DRC government of supporting the Interahamwe militia, Hutus who had been involved in the genocide. An interlude of peace began in 2002. In 2005 violence flared up again when Laurent Nkunda , an officer in

1152-725: The Kivu conflict . In August 2007, the area under Nkunda's control lay north of Lake Kivu in Nord-Kivu in the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru . In this area, Nkunda established his headquarters by building necessary infrastructure and developing institutions of order. He established a political organisation known as the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). In fighting that began on 27 October 2008, known as

1216-619: The List of World Heritage in Danger since 1994 because of civil unrest and increased human presence in the region. There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed. There have been plans to drill for oil in the Congo Basin since the 2000s. Preventing these plans the park gained further protection by an agreement sealed between DRCs president Felix Tshisekedi and Boris Johnson at

1280-481: The Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique ; explored the ethnic groups in this area; studied volcanic activity, and fossils . In the late 1950s, Tutsi herders and their cattle entered the park, destroying natural habitat up to an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), which was thought to threaten the park's gorillas. Land laws were reformed in the 1960s after Belgian Congo became independent as

1344-729: The RCD-Goma rebel group, rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of the RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi forests to the west. This was the start of the long-running Kivu conflict . A warrant for Nkunda's arrest on charges of war crimes was issued in September 2005. In January 2006 his forces attacked and occupied several towns in Rutshuru Territory including Tongo , Bunagana and Rutshuru. The troops looted

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1408-565: The RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi forests in North Kivu, where he raised the flag of rebellion against the government of Joseph Kabila (who had succeeded his father in 2001). Nkunda claimed to be defending the interests of the Tutsi minority in eastern Congo who were subjected to attacks by Hutus who had fled after their involvement with the Rwandan genocide . This war has come to be known as

1472-456: The Republic of the Congo , and the land declared property of the state, much to the disadvantage of local people. Illegal hunting inside protected areas increased. In 1969, the two parks were merged under the name Virunga National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. In 1996, the national park was listed as a Ramsar site of international importance . In 2011,

1536-551: The Semliki River valley to 5,109 m (16,762 ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains . From north to south it extends approximately 300 km (190 mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. It covers an area of 8,090 km (3,120 sq mi). Two active volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira , are located in the park. They have significantly shaped

1600-600: The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) launched Operation "Restore Hope" in Rutshuru territory, a concerted drive to suppress violence through 24-hour patrols. In July 2012, Rutshuru territory was captured by the rebel group March 23 Movement , which will hold it until it is reconquered by the government in October 2013. The following month, President Joseph Kabila , following

1664-475: The 2008 Nord-Kivu fighting, Nkunda led CNDP rebels who opposed both the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo , FDLR militias, and United Nations forces of the 17,000 UN contingent in the country. It was reported that he was advancing on the city of Goma with the aim of capturing it, with the Congolese army claimed he was receiving aid from Rwanda . The fighting uprooted 200,000 civilians, bringing

1728-650: The Albertine Rift is influenced by the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation . March to mid May and September to November are the main rainy seasons. Mean monthly rainfall in the savanna around Lake Edward is 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in); this is the driest part of the landscape. The northern sector receives a monthly mean precipitation of up to 220 mm (8.7 in), and

1792-485: The British company Soco International was granted a concession for extracting crude oil in the surroundings of and in large parts of the national park. Government officials supported exploration activities by Soco International mission members, whereas park management opposed. In the course of increasing tensions, the park's chief warden, Emmanuel de Mérode , was assailed in April 2014. Following international protests,

1856-515: The DRC, numbering between half a million to a million, but are a significant military force who live just across the border from Rwanda). In 2003, with the official end to war, Nkunda joined the new integrated national army of the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a colonel and by 2004, he was promoted to general. However, he soon rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of

1920-474: The DRC. During the First Congo War , he fought alongside Laurent-Désiré Kabila , who overthrew Mobutu . At the outset of the Second Congo War , Nkunda joined and became a major in the Congolese Rally for Democracy also known as Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), fighting on the side of Rwandan, Ugandan , Burundian , and other Tutsi-aligned forces (the latter are a relatively small group in

1984-598: The Mbuti, which previously relied on the lands included in the park for food and shelter have been forced out, or risk being arrested or killed by armed park rangers . Increasing militarisation of nature conservation has been accused of fuelling armed mobilisation of militias. The inhabitants inside the national park, whether native or refugees , rely on farming, hunting, fishing, logging and producing charcoal for their livelihoods, all prohibited activities. The local community has no where else to turn for security, and relies on

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2048-510: The Puemba River valley to the highest peak of Mount Stanley at 5,109 m (16,762 ft) within 30 km (19 mi). The national park's central sector encompasses about two thirds of Lake Edward up to the international border with Uganda in the east. A narrow corridor of 3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) width along the lake's western bank connects the northern and southern sectors of the national park. The southern sector stretches to

2112-495: The Virunga National Park have invaded farmlands in the territory, often causing considerable damage. Villagers typically retaliate by killing the animals, or getting soldiers to do the job. The tusks immediately disappear and the elephant is cut up for its meat. As internally displaced people return, land conflicts have grown to alarming levels. There have been conflicts between ethnic groups, and particularly so as

2176-693: The company stopped exploring activities and consented to refrain from starting similar operations in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. In August 2015, the Minister of Tourism and Culture inaugurated four key initiatives including the tourist destination Tchegera Island and the Rugari–Bukima road section that facilitates access to the Mount Mikeno sector. By 2016, four hydropower dams were constructed that provide electricity to small businesses and benefit more than 200,000 rural people. Since

2240-421: The conflicts that started in 1992, most households raised livestock and measured their wealth in terms of heads of cattle. However, almost all the herds were wiped out during the fighting. The population is extremely poor, and due to the continued insecurity their farming methods minimize risk rather than maximizing profit. Many of the households are headed by a widow. There have been incidents where elephants from

2304-509: The early 1990s, the protected area was impacted by political turmoil in the African Great Lakes region. Following the Rwandan genocide , thousands of refugees fled to the Kivu region, and the presence of military increased. The First and Second Congo Wars further destabilised the region. Anti- poaching patrols inside the park were obstructed, and park personnel and wildlife were killed. About 850,000 refugees lived around

2368-515: The government only recognizes formal land certificates. Some of the better-informed have obtained such certificates, displacing the former users of the land. Conflict has afflicted Rutshuru territory since inter-ethnic fighting broke out in 1992-1993. The Rwandan Civil War (1990-1993) followed by the Rwandan genocide of 1994 caused many Hutu refugees to enter the region, while the Congolese Tutsi population left for Rwanda. This led to

2432-540: The gunfire when a militia that had kidnapped their convoy, and had brought them into the park, was met by park rangers who managed to free four people. Virunga National Park is located in the Congo − Nile watershed area. Its northern sector encompasses part of the Semliki River basin, as well as savanna and montane forest of the Albertine Rift . In altitude, this sector ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in

2496-657: The late 1930s and 1955, an estimated 85,000 Rwandophone people were moved to nearby Masisi in North Kivu . In 1934, the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge was founded as the governing body for national parks in the Belgian Congo. Between the early 1930s and 1961, several expeditions to Albert National Park were carried out by Belgian scientists, the second headed by Gaston-François de Witte . They studied and collected zoological specimens of wildlife for

2560-401: The main groups responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers in the DRC. Nkunda denies these allegations, stating that as of 2005 he has demobilised 2,500 "young soldiers". His total army was estimated at 7,000–8,000 men. Nkunda may have been usurped in leadership by fellow general Bosco Ntaganda , who became the new representative of the group. The two might have had a falling out over

2624-472: The mountainous western section and Bwisha Chiefdom in the lower-lying eastern section. The territory is mountainous, with significant variations in climate from one part to another. Some parts are forested, others are mostly savanna with occasional trees. The soil in the south is generally rich and fertile. The climate is temperate and wet in the mountains, with temperatures between 3 °C (37 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). Average annual rainfall in

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2688-462: The national park in 1994. Up to 40,000 people entered the park daily in search of firewood and food, and deforested huge areas. In 1994, Virunga National Park was entered into the List of World Heritage in Danger. After the Second Congo War was over, confrontations between park personnel and rebel groups continued; 80 park staff were killed between 1996 and 2003. Several armed rebel groups operate in

2752-625: The national park include mountain gorilla ( G. b. beringei ), common chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ), golden monkey, red-tailed monkey ( Cercopithecus ascanius ), Dent's mona monkey ( C. denti ), blue monkey ( C. mitis ), Hamlyn's monkey ( C. hamlyni ), De Brazza's monkey ( C. neglectus ), Central African red colobus ( Procolobus foai ), mantled guereza ( Colobus guereza ), olive baboon ( Papio anubis ) and grey-cheeked mangabey ( Lophocebus albigena ). African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius ) and African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ) inhabit

2816-531: The national park's central sector. Okapi ( Okapia johnstoni ), blue duiker ( Philantomba monticola ), bay duiker ( Cephalophus dorsalis ), Weyns's duiker ( C. weynsi ), yellow-backed duiker ( C. silvicultor ), water chevrotain ( Hyemoschus aquaticus ), red river hog ( Potamochoerus porcus ), aardvark ( Orycteropus afer ) and bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus ) were recorded in the northern sector in 2008. Harnessed bushbuck ( T. scriptus ) and giant forest hog ( Hylochoerus meinertzhageni ) are present in

2880-558: The national park's diverse habitats and wildlife . More than 3,000 faunal and floral species have been recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to the Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla ( Gorilla beringei ) and golden monkey ( Cercopithecus kandti ). The park is also home to Tchegera Island . In 1979, the national park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich diversity of habitats, exceptional biodiversity and endemism , and its protection of rare mountain gorilla habitat. It has been listed in

2944-2753: The northern shore of Lake Edwards in 1988 for the first time. Of the Albertine Rift's endemic birds , Rwenzori turaco , Rwenzori batis , Archer's ground robin , red-throated alethe , Kivu ground thrush , collared apalis , mountain masked apalis , dusky crimson-wing , Shelley's crimsonwing , red-faced woodland warbler , stripe-breasted tit , blue-headed sunbird , regal sunbird , Rwenzori double-collared sunbird , handsome spurfowl and strange weaver were recorded in Virunga National Park's southern sector during surveys in 2004. Non-endemic birds recorded include Wahlberg's eagle , African goshawk , African hobby , harrier hawk , common buzzard , mountain buzzard , hadeda ibis , grey-crowned crane , black-and-white-casqued hornbill , black-billed turaco , African olive pigeon , tambourine dove , blue-spotted wood dove , red-eyed dove , brown-necked parrot , red-chested cuckoo , olive long-tailed cuckoo , barred long-tailed cuckoo , Klaas's cuckoo , Diederik cuckoo , blue-headed coucal , Narina trogon , white-headed wood hoopoe , white-necked raven , white-tailed crested flycatcher , African paradise flycatcher , white-eyed slaty flycatcher , African dusky flycatcher , white-tailed blue flycatcher , mountain oriole , speckled mousebird , cinnamon-chested bee-eater , grey-throated barbet , yellow-billed barbet , western tinkerbird , yellow-rumped tinkerbird , cardinal woodpecker , olive woodpecker , black saw-wing , Angola swallow , Alpine swift , mountain greenbul , yellow-whiskered greenbul , common bulbul , white-starred robin , Archer's ground robin , white-browed robin-chat , African stonechat , rufous thrush , African thrush , olive thrush , grassland pipit , cinnamon bracken warbler , black-faced rufous warbler , mountain yellow warbler , brown woodland warbler , green sandpiper , Chubb's cisticola , banded prinia , chestnut-throated apalis , grey-backed camaroptera , white-browed crombec , black-throated wattle-eye , chinspot batis , mountain illadopsis , grey-chested illadopsis , olive sunbird , bronze sunbird , malachite sunbird , collared sunbird , variable sunbird , yellow white-eye , Mackinnon's shrike , Doherty's bushshrike , Lühder's bushshrike , northern puffback , mountain sooty boubou , tropical boubou , narrow-tailed starling , Sharpe's starling , baglafecht weaver , black bishop , grey-headed nigrita , common waxbill , black-headed waxbill , bronze mannikin , black and white mannikin , pin-tailed whydah , African citril , streaky seedeater and thick-billed seedeater . Ethnic groups living in and around Virunga National Park include: The documentary Virunga documents

3008-559: The park to land controlled by the FDLR, where they could rent small plots of land. Clashes occurred in 2015 when a local Mai-Mai group in Binza (north Bwisha) attempted to take back control of region, with the objective of reinstalling fishing activities and allowing the population to return, killing a park guard and 11-15 soldiers. Five rangers were killed in August 2017 near Lake Edward in

3072-635: The park, including Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and National Congress for the Defence of the People (FDLR). Latter controlled the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park between December 2006 and January 2009. In 2005, the European Commission (EC) recommended a public-private partnership between the country's government and the British non-governmental organisation African Conservation Fund . The latter organisation

3136-741: The protection of armed groups, for which fees are levied off the prohibited activities. According to a 2010 report by the United Nations Security Council , 80% of the charcoal consumed by the city of Goma is sourced from the park, representing an annual value of US$ 28–30 million. Both state security services and such groups also resort to armed robberies and kidnapping for income. Efforts at nature conservation have had contradictory effects, for example when farms were destroyed within Kibirizi, and soldiers and park guards were sent in to patrol, people migrated even further within

3200-491: The shores of Lake Kivu and encompasses Nyamulagira, Nyiragongo and Mikeno volcanoes with montane forests on their slopes. The northern sector of Virunga National Park is contiguous with Uganda's Semuliki park , the Rwenzori Mountains National Park , and the central sector with Queen Elizabeth National Park . The southern sector borders Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park . The climate in

3264-495: The social and ecological impact of devastating the forest for oil production. Campaigners trying to create public awareness are threatened and intimidated on social media. In the early 1920s, several proponents of the European conservation movement championed the idea of creating a protected area in northeastern Belgian Congo , among them Victor van Straelen , Jean Massart and Jean-Marie Derscheid . When Albert National Park

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3328-539: The soldiers. Some children have been released and then recruited again more than once. By November 2008, 85% of the 310 schools in Rutshuru territory were closed. An estimated 150,000 children were out of school. Virunga National Park Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in

3392-474: The south is about 1,800 millimetres (71 in), with two rainy seasons. Further north it is drier, warmer and less fertile. A study of the Bwito district of Rutshuru Territory found that almost all the people lived by agriculture, with most households owning or renting between a half hectare and five hectares of land. Other economic activities include small-scale trading, brewing of banana beer and logging. Before

3456-635: The south is the Nyiragongo Territory , beyond which is the provincial capital of Goma . To the east is Masisi Territory and Walikale Territory . The strategically important town of Kanyabayonga is just north of the territory on the road from Goma to Butembo . The territory includes a large part of the Virunga Mountains and Virunga National Park , which includes Mount Mikeno , an extinct volcano that rises to 14,557 feet (4,437 m). The territory includes Bwito Chiefdom in

3520-1005: The southern sector of up to 160 mm (6.3 in). Average temperatures in lower altitudes vary from 23–28 °C (73–82 °F), and in higher altitudes from 16–24 °C (61–75 °F), rarely dropping below 14 °C (57 °F). Virunga National Park's flora encompasses 2,077 plant species, including 264 tree species and 230 plants that are endemic to the Albertine Rift. The plains of Virunga National Park are dominated by wetlands and grasslands with papyrus sedge ( Cyperus papyrus ), jointed flatsedge ( C. articulatus ), common reed ( Phragmites mauritanica ), sacaton grasses ( Sporobolus consimilis ), ambatch ( Aeschynomene elaphroxylon ), conkerberry ( Carissa spinarum ), paperbark thorn ( Vachellia sieberiana ) and kowai fruit ( Coccinia grandis ). Remains of dicots such as African caper ( Capparis tomentosa ), Maerua species, wild cucurbits , and nightshades were found in dung balls of African elephants ( Loxodonta ) that play

3584-493: The southern sector. All of the topi ( Damaliscus lunatus jimela ) cluster to the south of Lake Edward in the Ishasha Flats region, and regularly cross the border into Uganda. Other ungulates present include Ugandan kob ( Kobus kob thomasi ), waterbuck ( K. ellipsiprymnus ), and  common warthog ( Phacochoerus africanus ). Virunga National Park together with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth National Park forms

3648-542: The total number of people displaced by the Kivu conflict to 2 million, causing civil unrest large food shortages and what the United Nations calls "a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions." In an interview with the BBC on November 10, 2008, Nkunda threatened to topple the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo if the president, Joseph Kabila , continued to avoid direct negotiations. Throughout

3712-704: The towns and raped or killed civilians who were unable to escape. In October and November 2008 there was severe conflict in the region between government troops and rebels led by Laurent Nkunda, with an estimated 250,000 people made homeless. Nkunda claimed his CNDP forces were protecting his Tutsi community from attacks by Hutu rebels of the FDLR who fled to the DRC after the Rwandan Genocide. Throughout 2010 there were repeated security incidents. As of September 2010, camps dotted throughout Rutshuru territory held 77,000 internally displaced people. On 2 June 2011

3776-492: The work of Virunga National Park rangers and the activities of British oil company Soco International within the park. Ndakasi , a gorilla from the park, was featured in a few television series and movies, including the Netflix documentary. Laurent Nkunda Laurent Nkunda (or Laurent Nkundabatware Mihigo (birth name), or Laurent Nkunda Batware , or as he prefers to be called The Chairman ; born February 2, 1967)

3840-561: The years Nkunda has come under scrutiny and been accused by a number of organizations of committing human rights abuses. Nkunda was indicted by the Congolese government for war crimes in September 2005. According to human rights monitors such as Refugees International , Nkunda's troops have been alleged to have committed acts of murder, rape, and pillaging of civilian villages; a charge which Nkunda denies. Amnesty International says his troops have abducted children as young as 12 and forced them to serve as child soldiers . In May 2002, he

3904-518: Was accused of massacring 160 people in Kisangani , prompting UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson to call for his arrest following the abduction and beating of two UN investigators by his troops. He has claimed that the UN have ignored the widespread attacks on Tutsis in the region as they did during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The United Nations has identified Nkunda's CNDP as being one of

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3968-466: Was established in April 1925 as the Congo's first national park , it was conceived as a science-oriented nature reserve with the aim of studying and preserving wildlife and so-called "primitive" hunter-gatherer African Pygmies . In 1926, Derscheid headed the first Belgian mission to map Albert National Park, which encompassed an area of 500 km (190 sq mi) around the extinct volcanoes Mount Karisimbi and Mount Mikeno . The protected area

4032-469: Was extended in 1929 by Virunga National Park, which encompassed the Virunga Mountains , parts of the Rutshuru Territory , and the plains south of Lake Edward. Its initial size of 2,920.98 km (1,127.80 sq mi) was enlarged step by step in subsequent years. Indigenous people lost their traditional land rights in this process, and were evicted from the protected area. Between

4096-543: Was put under house arrest in Gisenyi when he was called for a meeting to plan a joint operation between the Congolese and Rwandan militaries. Nkunda has six children. Before joining the military, Nkunda studied psychology at Kisangani University then became a school teacher in Kichanga. He has claimed to admire leaders including Gandhi and George W. Bush . Nkunda claims to be a Seventh-day Adventist minister, he

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