Some environmental organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have accused armed groups in the country of pillaging the wildlife and floral resources of Virunga National Park.

Development Diaries reports that the organisations, 14, specifically accused the 23 March Movement (M23) of accused of poaching, charcoal burning, trafficking in wood and charcoal, trafficking in baby primates and other activities in Africa’s oldest nature reserve.

In a letter to President Felix Tshisekedi, the organisations appealed to him to find an urgent solution to save this world heritage site.

The Virunga National Park, created in 1925, was listed as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1979.

The park is under threat of deforestation, as thousands of displaced persons who have fled the conflict between government forces and the M23 rebels have resorted to cutting down trees for firewood and charcoal.

The park, it is understood, is focused on economically transforming the region by focusing on hydropower, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and tourism.

However, in less than two months, more than 500 acres of forest have been razed to stumps.

In January 2023, Gorilla Ambassador warned of the threats posed by the M23 to animal species in Virunga Park, following its encampment at Mont Sabinyo in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu.

‘The cantonment of the rebels at Mont Sabinyo is a danger for the gorillas, which have long been threatened by war, poaching and loss of habitat’, the organisations’s Deputy Director, Alain Mukiranya, said in a letter to the president.

‘The presence of these rebels will increase the poaching rate because they will be hunting and cutting down trees to produce charcoal for sale’.

Development Diaries calls on President Tshisekedi to begin an investigation into the allegations and ensure that the park is preserved for economic benefits.