Developing sustainable transnational collaboration in the post-armed conflict areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda

Abstract

The Virunga National Park (Parc National des Virunga) is situated in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the south-western part of Uganda near Lake George and Lake Edward, and the north-western part of Ruhengeri in Rwanda. It was created in 1925 and is one of the first protected areas in Africa, enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1979. The park is host to one of the world’s most famous populations of mountain gorillas but it has been hit by rising instabilities, an influx of refugees, poaching, smuggling activities and violence caused by various rebel groups, such as the Mai-Mai militia and other smugglers, including the recent killing of 12 rangers and the abduction of 2 British tourists in 2018.