DRC – 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. This was a result of a “preliminary investigation,” said Major General Maurice Aguru Mamba, commander of the Corps for the Protection of National Parks and Related Natural Reserve.
The Rwandan rebels active in DRC’s volatile east have denied killing the 12 rangers and 5 other at Africa’s oldest national park, and rather blamed Rwandan government troops.
The attack was one of the deadliest in the world-famous Virunga National Park and there have been no claims of responsibility.
The FDLR, a Hutu rebel group active in eastern DRC, said it “unconditionally condemned this cowardly attack,” and added that it had “nothing to do with these events.”
However, the manager of Virunga Park said it had “precise indications” that the FDLR was responsible for the attack near the park headquarters.
On Monday the FDLR put out a statement saying that “the area of Rutshuru (the site of the attack) is under the control of Rwandan soldiers.”
“The FDLR underscores that this attack by the soldiers of (Rwandan president Paul)Kagame is the latest in a long list of crimes,” the statement said.
