Virunga mountain driver#

The recent the Kivu conflict which happened few weeks after reopening the park in may also paralysed the operations of Virunga park where a vehicle carrying tourists from Goma on their to their hotel were attacked killing one ranger in the names Freddy Mahamba Muliro, a one Congolese driver was wounded and two Briton tourists (Robert Jesty and Bethan Davies) were hold hostage for overnight by the rebels.ĭue to efforts of dedicated politicians, conservationists, environments wardens, park rangers and international donors who are tirelessly donate so much dollars for infrastructure development. Refugees produced by the Rwanda genocide led to cutting of trees and penetration of rebels into the forests of Virunga national park which resulted in the park being declared a dangerous site in 1994 by UNESCO and also by then Congolese wildlife authority also lost control. Virunga national park was listed on UNESCO list as a world heritage site in 1979.įollowing being granted independence in 1960, the Democratic Republic of Congo as a state deteriorated as well as Virunga due to rebels and refugees during the times of Rwanda genocide in Under the leadership of Mobutu, Democratic republic was filled with chaos which included poaching, killing of animals, destroying of park infrastructures and many rangers were killed. Virunga national park was founded by King Albert I of Belgium in 1925 originally as Albert national park primarily to conserve and protect the critically endangered mountain gorillas living in Virunga Mountains which was controlled by then Belgian Congo. Virunga national park is located in eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Albertine rift valley lying at coordinates 0.0502° S, 29.5143° E, bordering Uganda and Rwanda in the east with the altitude ranges of 2,230 feet (680m) in semiliki river valley and 16,762 feet in Rwenzori mountains. Virunga N ational Park is the oldest park in Africa and the second oldest national parks and it covers 7,800 square kilometers stretching from north to cover Lake Edward and mountain Rwenzori as well.

Virunga mountain