The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced the death of three rangers and a technician, killed in an attack on their convoy by armed men.
The attack was carried out on the outskirts of Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest reserve on the border with Uganda and Rwanda. The park is used as a rear base by militias operating in eastern DRC.
Thursday’s ambush was carried out by community militias called “Mai Mai” against “a convoy of technicians assigned to development projects”, according to the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).
The attack near the village of Kivale resulted in the death of three guards and one technical staff member, in addition to six people injured, ICCN added.
Colonel Alain Kiwewa Mitela also said that four people were killed in the attack by Mayi-Mayi who are trying to control the area.
The eastern DRC has been plagued by violence from armed groups for decades.