Haut-Uele: Governor calls for stronger protection of Garamba National Park

Isiro, June 28^th, 2026 (CPA).- Greater community involvement and collaboration in securing Garamba National Park were recommended during a visit by the Governor of Haut-Uele Province and provincial lawmakers to Nagero, in Dungu Territory, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to an official source. « I leave this park truly impressed. Garamba is a national treasure that we have a duty to protect and promote. I call on all communities, partners and every Congolese citizen to join efforts in safeguarding and preserving this site. Come and visit, come and discover this exceptionally well-managed environment. Garamba must once again become a leading tourist destination for Haut-Uele Province and for the DRC, » said Jean Bakomito, Governor of Haut-Uele. Established in 1938, the park covers approximately 4,920 square kilometers and is managed by the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN). Welcomed by the head of the site, Philippe de Coop, the delegation observed white rhinoceroses, buffaloes, giraffes, antelopes and several other emblematic species that inhabit this natural jewel of northeastern DRC. The provincial authority commended the work carried out by the park’s management team and stressed the need for stronger collaboration between the ICCN, security services, elected officials and neighboring communities in the fight against poaching. He also reaffirmed his provincial government’s determination to develop tourism as a sustainable economic alternative for the province while ensuring the conservation of Garamba’s unique biodiversity. The Governor visited this national heritage site during an administrative tour of Watsa and Dungu territories, accompanied by senators, national and provincial members of parliament, as well as several members of the provincial government.