Acrid smoke billows amid sawdust beneath the majestic Nyiragongo volcano, creating a scene of devastation in the heart of the lush natural treasure of eastern DR Congo.
In less than two months, more than 200 hectares (500 acres) of forest have been burned to the ground in this corner of Virunga National Park, where tens of thousands of Congolese have fled clashes between rebels and the military.
Deforestation ‘very worrying’
To survive, many cut trees for firewood and charcoal, often paying levies to militia groups to access Africa’s oldest national park, home to wildlife including mountain gorillas.
“Since the arrival of displaced people, we have had deforestation in the Nyiragongo volcano zone – very worrying,” said park official Methode Uhoze.
The new arrivals were forced from their homes in the north by the advancing M23 militia, which resumed fighting in November 2021 after accusing the Congolese government of failing to honor an agreement to integrate the fighters into the army.
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Fabrice, 15, said he fled the war in the village of Rugari, about 30 kilometers north of the provincial capital Goma, on the border with Rwanda.
Every morning he went to the garden to make charcoal, called “makala”, which he and his two brothers sold on the side of the road.
“This is to make a living,” he told AFP.
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A woman at a clandestine makala market on the highway to Goma, who asked that her name not be used, said people who cut down trees must pay taxes to militias, including the FDLR – the descendants of the Rwandan Hutu extremist group that did it. the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.
But another shopkeeper pointed to a Congolese soldier carrying a sack of makala. “Look, even the soldiers here make charcoal!” she said.
– ‘We are hungry’ –
High on the slopes of the volcano, soldiers and militia together organize trade operations in the park, each crossing the road and even contesting roadblocks with ease, as the AFP team observed.
Just a few months ago, the area was still under the Virunga park authority.
But today, the ranger calls the various militias first to alert them before going out, to avoid any disturbance or worse.
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In December, two rangers were killed and another injured by suspected militiamen.
“FDLR fighters have even sold plots of land, saying ‘this is done for a park’,” said Mugisha, a young man who makes charcoal to help his family after fleeing the M23 in Rugari.
“We know the problem of cutting trees in the park, but we do it because we are hungry,” said Byikusenge Ndibeshe, another young man who carried wood on his back as he retreated from the volcano.
“We want to go back home and never touch the park again,” he said.
But despite signing a ceasefire agreement in the region with the government last November, M23 has continued to fight rival armed groups as it conquers territory in North Kivu province and advances towards Goma.
Tens of thousands of refugees have also fled to Rwanda, which DR Congo accuses of supporting the Tutsi-led M23, although Kigali denies the allegations.
Last week, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the country would not accept those fleeing the violence next door, further fueling tensions between the two countries.
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