Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken control of large parts of the Virunga National Park, home to rare mountain gorillas. The move has raised fears for the fate of the gorillas. Only 700 remain - half of which are in Virunga.
Meanwhile, the army says it has killed at least 28 troops loyal to rebel General Laurent Nkunda in the latest fighting in eastern DR Congo.
Some 170,000 people have fled the area this year, says the UN refugee agency.
"If anything happens to the mountain gorillas now, there is nothing we can do," said Norbert Mushenzi of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN).
"As of today, the sector is no longer under my control and we have been rendered powerless by these actions." Nine gorillas have been killed this year, allegedly by Gen Nkunda's men, sparking outrage among conservationists.
Source: BBC
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