Tourists kidnapped in DRC

This item appears on page 19 of the July 2018 issue.

A park ranger was killed and three people — a driver and two British tourists — were kidnapped in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 11. The tourists and ranger were heading to the city of Goma after visiting a gorilla sanctuary in the park.

The ranger was the eighth one killed in the park in 2018. Since 1998, more than 170 rangers have been killed in the park either by militant groups operating in the area or by poachers.

The three hostages were released on May 13, though it was not known as of press time whether they had been rescued or if demands had been met.