Two British nationals kidnapped in Congo have been released, the UK Foreign Office has said. The two were abducted along with their driver at the Virunga wildlife sanctuary on Friday. The driver remains missing.
Image: Imago/McPHOTO/Zandbergen
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The British Foreign Office said on Sunday that the two British tourists being held hostage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had been released.
The UK's top diplomat, Boris Johnson, declined to offer any further details, but paid tribute to the Congolese authorities "for their tireless help during this terrible case."
The two British nationals, whose identities have yet to be made been made public, were abducted on Friday at the Virunga National Park, a popular gorilla sanctuary. A wildlife park guard was killed in the ambush, while the tourists' driver was also kidnapped.
Johnson said that "my thoughts are now with the family of Virunga Park ranger Rachel Makissa Baraka, who was killed during the kidnapping, and with the injured driver."
Congolese authorities have yet to disclose the identity of the kidnappers, while the missing driver's whereabouts also remained unclear.
Virunga National Park - more than scenic landscapes and mountain gorillas
The Virunga National Park in eastern DRC is one of the world's most stunning nature reserves. Plans for exploratory oil drilling may have been shelved, but conservationists say the park still faces an uncertain future.
No exploratory drilling for oil
Conservationists at the Virunga National Park in DR Congo are relieved that exploratory oil drilling by London-based Soco International will now not go ahead. This is the result of an agreement between the company and the wildlife protection organization WWF, which had challenged the legality of the drilling. Virunga is a World Heritage site listed by UNESCO as "in danger."
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
A long history in nature conservation
The drill would have been sunk deep into the bed of Lake Edward, where the Virunga National Park borders on Uganda. The spectacular panorama with its active volcanoes, tropical forests, savannah and snow-capped mountains was declared a conservation area by colonial power Belgium in 1925. UNESCO added it to its World Heritage list in 1979.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
Fear of an oil slick
50,000 families are dependent on Lake Edward for water for drinking and cooking. The lake is also replete with fish, which serves as a source of food and income for residents of lakeside villages like Kavanyongi. Many feared the exploratory drilling for oil could have contaminated the water.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
A new life
Local women sell dried fish at the weekly market in Vitshumbi on the southern shore of Lake Edward. Many families arrived here after fleeing fighting between militia groups in other parts of eastern DR Congo. The park itself was also the site of heavy fighting. In the meantime, the internally displaced have built a new life for themselves.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
Where mountain gorillas roam
Virunga National Park is the habitat of some 200 mountain gorillas. They are threatened with extinction and their presence in the park was one reason why it was declared a World Heritage site. But the shy beasts are still being killed by poachers for their meat which is considered by some to be a rare delicacy. It fetches high prices.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
Endangered forests
Virunga National Park contains 700 bird species and 2,000 plant species. They are also under threat of extinction. Every year huge swathes of forest are felled to supply the nearby provincial capital of Goma with firewood. Militias also cut down trees. With the sale of the wood, they finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
Engage with local people
"We have to show people that nature conservation can pay, has economic benefits, otherwise Virunga won't survive," said Emmanuel de Merode, the park's director the last five years. He favors the construction of small hydroelectric power plants in the park, or local production of wood pellets. An opponent of exploratory oil drilling, he narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in April.
Image: Getty Images
Alternatives to over-exploitation
Virunga National Park has great economic potential. According to a WWF study, as many as 45,000 park-related jobs could be created in hydroelectric power, fisheries, ecotourism, medicine, research and education. Environmental protection and commercial success need not be mutually exclusive. Using sustainable methods, the park could generate a million euros ($1.3 million ) in revenue annually.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
Lost generations
Virugna National Park could turn into an engine for local economic growth that helps promote peace and development. Eastern DR Congo is one of Africa's poorer regions and has been plagued by fighting between militias and ethnic groups for decades. Generations of young people have grown up without any hope of education or employment.
Image: WWF/Brent Stirton
The oil industry and Virugna National Park
Oil was discovered in Virunga National Park in 2010 and the DRC subsequently sold a concession to Soco International. The company has promised to desist from drilling "unless the government and UNESCO agree it would not threaten the park's heritage status." In other words, the oil industry hasn't lost interest in the park. Author: Katrin Mathei / mc Editor: Susan Houlton.
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UNESCO conservation site facing several dangers
Covering some 7,800 square kilometers (3,011 miles), the Virunga National Park is one of the most important conservation sites in the world. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to around a quarter of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and contains more mammals as well as reptile and bird species than any protected area on the African continent.
However, protecting these rare species has become increasingly dangerous. Alongside threats from poachers, rangers also have to reckon with armed militia groups fighting for territorial and natural resources in the region.
Attackers have killed more than 175 people at the park over the past two decades, including five rangers and a driver just last month.
Fighting in the DRC's North Kivu province, located near the DRC's border with Rwanda and Uganda, has also left hundreds of people displaced from their homes and spilled into the park.
Following Friday's kidnapping, the British Foreign Office "advised against all but essential travel" to the DRC province where Virunga park is located.
