Is the herd of elephants in Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still the largest in Africa? Since the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) entered the locality of Rwindi in mid-March, only a handful of eco-guards have kept watch over the 600 pachyderms that had migrated from Uganda to settle on the Congolese side in 2020. The management of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) deplores the fact that these animals are increasingly exposed to poaching but is unable to say how many have been killed due to a lack of monitoring.
At the heart of the conflicts between armies and militias that have torn the Great Lakes region apart over the past 30 years, Virunga Park has not been spared the fighting between the M23 insurgents, backed by Rwanda, and the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) allied with pro-government groups. The fragile progress made in environmental protection in the 7,800 km2 park in recent years may well be jeopardized.
South of the Rwindi plains, most of the territory covering the slopes of volcanoes and tropical forests "is also under M23 control," said Corneille Semakuba, coordinator at the Center for Research on the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights (CREDDHO). The rebels also control the area where almost a third of the world's population of mountain gorillas (Gorilla Beringei Beringei) lived before the start of the war. "No massacres have been reported recently but it's difficult to say how many are still on the DRC side since it's almost inaccessible," said Jérôme Lombart, the park's program director.
These primates are found in the Virunga Mountains, between the DRC and Rwanda, and in the Bwindi forest in Uganda. According to the latest estimates, just over 1,000 remain on the planet. This endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has enjoyed unexpected population growth over the last decade. This success attracted tourists – nearly 3,000 each year – before the park's closure in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
"Around 40% of the park's income disappeared overnight," said Olivier Mukisya, Virunga's spokesman. The other attractions that made the park's reputation have not reopened, with the exception of the Tchegera camp, an island in Lake Kivu known for its crescent shape. The trek to climb the Nyiragongo volcano and observe its lava lake – the largest in the world – was no longer passable due to the last eruption in May 2021 and is now in zone M23.
The kidnapping of two British tourists in May 2018 also dealt a heavy blow to the park. The attack was attributed to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), created by former Hutu leaders of the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda and since settled in the DRC. Over the past 30 years, this armed group has made the park its rear base. It is an extremely lucrative hideout, thanks in particular to charcoal. In a country with one of the lowest electrification rates on the continent, demand is immense and "makala" (in Kiswahili, the regional language), which is essential for cooking, is sold at a premium.
"The types of wood found inside the Virungas, such as ndobo or kiwelewele, burn longer and are considered of better quality by buyers," said Lara Collart, a researcher in development economics at the University of Antwerp. Before the resurgence of the M23, this trade brought in over $11 million (over €10 million) a year for the FDLR, according to an estimate published in 2022 by the Pole Institute, a research center in the province of North Kivu.
But the turnover of this group hostile to Kigali may have been affected by the presence of the Rwandan army and the M23, which has regained control of part of the forest area. "It's hard to say who's at the head of this traffic today. But one thing is certain: deforestation continues," said an ICCN source.
Fleeing the fighting, at least 500,000 displaced people are crammed together at the gates of Goma in camps that spill over into the Virunga protected areas. "Their situation is extremely difficult and precarious. To survive, they clear land to grow crops and cut wood to cook or turn into charcoal to sell," said Semakuba. Even before the war, 14% of the park's total surface area was used illegally for agriculture and makala.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.