The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) condemned, in a statement issued on the evening of Thursday 21 May 2026, the attack on one of its patrol posts located in Kamuhororo, on the southern shore of Lake Edward, in the territory of Rutshuru, North Kivu.

According to the statement, two eco-guards were killed in the attack, which has been attributed to as yet unidentified armed men. The victims were Kasereka Valyathire Baraka and Munguakonkwa Mihigo Jacques. The patrol post was targeted on Thursday morning.

The ICCN states that this attack comes at a time when protection operations in Virunga National Park are continuing despite the persistent insecurity in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The institution has offered its condolences to the victims’ families and called for investigations to be launched to identify those responsible for the attack.

The management of Kahuzi-Biega National Park has also offered its condolences to the families of the two eco-ranges who lost their lives.

For several years now, rangers stationed in protected areas in the east of the country have faced repeated attacks by armed groups. According to the ICCN, Virunga National Park has already recorded the deaths of more than 200 rangers over the last twenty years.

At this stage, the perpetrators of this attack have not yet been identified.

Written by Victoire Katembo Mbuto