Six Virunga Park rangers killed in eastern Congo ambush

FILE PHOTO: Lowland Gorillas are seen in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo November 5, 2012. One of the last refuges to the rare Eastern Lowland Gorilla, 130 individuals have been identified and live inside the park. REUTERS/Jonny Hogg/File Photo

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Armed men on Sunday killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, a sanctuary for endangered mountain gorillas, the park said.

The identity of the assailants was not immediately clear, said Olivier Mukisya, a Virunga spokesman. Previous attacks against the rangers have been blamed on various militias who fight to control land and natural resources in eastern Congo.