DRC blames Rwandan Hutu rebels for ranger massacre

The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (FDLR) of being responsible for the massacre of a dozen Rangers in Virunga Park at the end of April, according to the results of a “preliminary investigation,” Major General Maurice Aguru Mamba, commander of the Corps for the Protection of National Parks and Related Natural Reserves said.

But the Rwandan rebels active in DR Congo’s volatile east have denied killing 12 rangers and five others at Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and rather blamed Rwandan government troops.

Friday’s attack was one of the deadliest in the world famous Virunga National Park — home to mountain gorillas and several other species. There have been no claims of responsibility.

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu rebel group active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, said it “unconditionally condemned this cowardly attack,” adding that it had “nothing to do with these events.”