Congolese rebels cash in on gorilla tourism to fund insurgency

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/19/congo-rebels-gorilla-tour-insurgency


Mountain gorillas are the main attraction for tourists at Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo where they pay more than $350 a day for a tour. Photograph: Eric Lafforgue/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

A Congolese rebel group accused of killings, mass rapes and other atrocities is taking groups of tourists on gorilla treks to the Virunga national park and using the proceeds to fund its insurgency.

Government authorities were forced to withdraw from parts of the park earlier this year because of the advance by M23 rebels, and now tourists wanting to see the rare mountain gorillas are being led by rangers who have defected to the militia.

A tour operator based in Bunagana, a border town that has been held by the M23 since early July, said international tourists were still coming to the park, at a cost of more than $350 (£218) a day.

"We had 39 visitors in August alone," said Laurent Ntawukiruwe, director of Shoushou Safari Tours. "I have agents in many different countries that help to bring tourists in. We have had German and Italian visitors, and soon we will have some French coming." A group of British tourists were booked to visit on 29 October, but cancelled their reservation.