Emergency assessment mission on the massacre of the Virunga National Park gorillas in DRC [1]

3 Mar 2009

Emergency assessment mission on the massacre of the Virunga National Park gorillas in DRC

Kinshasa, 17 August 2007: UNESCO (Education, Science and Culture Organization), UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and of the ICCN (Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature), are currently conducting a joint emergency assessment mission, following the massacre of mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park, located in the North Kivu province, in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), where seven of these big primates were shot to death, for no obvious reason, during the past two months.

The Virunga Park mountain gorillas contribute in an important way to the biodiversity of the planet and are an integral part of the national heritage of the Democratic Republic of Congo, accounting for 60% of the seven hundred individuals listed in the world, part of which is also located in Rwanda and in Uganda. The protection of this endangered animal species, unique to this part of Africa, is very important for its future and that of its inhabitants, particularly at the environmental, economic, cultural and social levels.

The destruction of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly that of the mountain gorillas, could have ominous consequences for the sustainable development of the region, while their preservation could, thanks to tourism, become a very important source of income for the local populations who would directly beneficiary from it, as is the case in the neighboring countries.

MONUC's mandate includes supporting the Congolese authorities in all domains and activities contributing to the development and security of the RDC. This especially true of the protection of civilians, of which the Virunga Park Rangers are part and who have paid a heavy tribute to the insecurity that prevails in this area of the RDC, as more than a hundred of them have been killed in the line of duty.

The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) is extremely preoccupied by these criminal acts, that rob and destroy the natural resources and wealth of the DRC, at the detriment of the Congolese people and that target those in charge of managing and protecting them. MONUC has decided to lend its support, to the extent of its means, to the current assessment mission of will pursue its action for the protection of civilians in the region.

Press Releases 2007 [2]