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13 May, 2018 14:11

British tourists released after fatal Congo kidnapping

Two British tourists kidnapped in Congo’s Virunga National Park have been released, according the UK Foreign Office. The pair were part of a group of three people taken after gunmen ambushed their vehicle during a tour of the gorilla sanctuary on Saturday. A female park ranger, Rachel Makissa Baraka, was killed in the attack. “I pay tribute to the DRC authorities and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation for their tireless help during this terrible case,” Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement. Reports had suggested that the kidnappers wanted $200,000 for the tourists’ safe return. It is not yet clear how the authorities managed to secure their release. Violence in the UNESCO world heritage site has been on the rise in recent times, with armed groups staging raids on the park’s resources, particularly charcoal.

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