Earthquakes continued to rumble in western Rwanda following the weekend eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano, with some 651 Congolese who fled the Goma area now taking refuge across the border, according to Rwandan media. The latest 4.6-magnitude quake happened Tuesday evening near Gisenyi and was one of a series of…
At least 15 people are dead following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday, according to Congolese authorities who continue to assess the damage and coordinate aid response to affected villages. The 15 fatalities come from road accidents during an evacuation of Goma and its surroundings, and include four…
An initiative designed to protect environmental defenders around the world from threats, intimidation, harassment and murder was launched Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Program. The UN Environmental Rights Initiative was introduced in Geneva with guests on hand including John Knox, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment;…
Rwandan authorities say they’re committing USD$180 million to an expansion of the Volcanoes National Park, a habitat for critically endangered mountain gorillas originally established in 1925. The government will add another 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) to the parkland, Kigali Today reports. The funding will help to compensate residents who live…
At least 200 environmental activists, NGO personnel, journalists and wildlife defenders died in 2016, and the work of rangers in the national parks of Democratic Republic of Congo continues to make the country among the seven deadliest in the world, the new “Defenders of the Earth” report from Global Witness…