Eighteen hostages are alive and abductors are demanding a large ransom, local sources say

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Eighteen employees of a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been abducted by a militia group, sources have said.

An official with an NGO said the abduction took place on Monday in the area of Nzovu, in Kahuzi-Biega national park. They said an armed group called the Mai-Mai Raia Mutomboki was responsible.

The abductees comprised nine administrative employees who were carrying out an inventory and nine guards, the source said.

Kashombana Bin-Saleh, administrator of Shabunda territory, confirmed the news. “[Eighteen] workers in the Kahuzi-Biega national park were kidnapped by militiamen,” Bin-Saleh said. “The 18 are alive and talks for negotiating their release will start as soon as a team from the [park] arrives in Shabunda.”

The abductors are demanding a large ransom, according to sources in local civil society groups.

The park extends over 2,300 sq miles (6,000 sq km) of rainforest – more than twice the size of Luxembourg – in largely mountainous terrain.

The designated Unesco heritage site is one of the last refuges of the endangered eastern lowland gorilla, of which only about 250 now survive, and is home to many other rare species.

The park was established in 1970 by a Belgian conservationist, Adrien Deschryver, taking its name from two dormant volcanoes that lie within its boundaries.

It adjoins one of the most troubled regions in Africa, where armed conflicts have been ongoing for more than two decades.