Congo Conflagration – Again

New and intense fighting between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and rebels has engulfed the eastern part of the country, again. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing their homes, some for the second or third time in recent months, and the UN peacekeeping force says it is woefully under-staffed and -supplied. In recent days, rebels seized the headquarters of Virunga National Park, home to as many as 200 endangered mountain gorillas. The rangers had to flee into the forest for their lives and are now making their way, on foot, to the city of Goma. War is never kind to people or animals. The state of the gorillas can’t be ascertained, although the rangers are doing their best to keep in touch with each other and the outside world. You can read their updated blogs on conditions on the ground here, see a video testimonial about the recent fighting in the park, and learn about ways to support them, and the gorillas, in this fraught time.