Officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that 6 park rangers were killed and another was seriously injured in an ambushed while on a foot patrol at the Virunga National Park. The ranger who was injured is now being treated at a local medical facility, and is expected to recovery. Reports from local media in the DR Congo suggests that a militia group known as the Mai-Mai may have been behind the attack and that two of the militiamen were killed during the attack. The attack started at about 07:30 local time in the morning, and was over in just minutes.

Staff working at the Virunga National Park, which is a Unesco World Heritage site home to the endangered mountain gorilla, have often come under attack by poachers and militiamen. It is estimated that almost a dozen groups are fighting for access and control of the resource-rich eastern border of the DR Congo. Currently, almost 700 armed rangers work in the national park, which is also Africa's oldest nature reserve, though over 200 have been killed in attacks by poachers, militiamen, illegal miners, and rebel groups going back more than a decade. In just April of 2020, 12 rangers and 5 civilians were shot at and killed by a rebel ambush.  

Official statement made by the Virunga National Park: https://virunga.org/news/recent-attack-2021/  

Note: All photos used in this article were retrieved from the public domain, and do not require citation nor attribution for commercial use.