The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, epicenter of what is often called Africa's World War, may soon see peace for the first time in years. More than 20 rebel leaders -- including rogue general Laurent Nkunda, wanted for war crimes -- are signing a cease-fire with DR Congo's government in hopes to quell the violence that has killed 45,000 people per month for the past ten years.
This is good news for DR Congo's mountain gorilla population. Only 700 of the animals are left on earth, mostly in Virunga National Park-- which became a de-facto war zone last year as rebel militias swarmed in.
Ten gorillas were shot dead in 2007, the worst death toll in the park's history-- not to mention the park rangers who were also killed.
This park was once a tourist attraction, and Dian Fossey made her name studying the region's gorillas in neighboring Rwanda. If the fighting continues unabated, mountain gorillas could very well become extinct-- collateral damage in the of the world's worst conflicts.
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