Uvira, April 9th, 2025 (CPA). – An appeal to become aware of the inestimable value of hippopotamuses has been launched in the Uvira territory, in South Kivu, East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), by an environmental actor, the CPA learned on Wednesday from a local source. “I call on local communities to become aware of the inestimable value of hippopotamuses, which are not only representatives of a rare species, but also an ecological and economic asset for the region”, said Josué Aruna, president of the environmental civil society. He added that these emblematic mammals, which mainly inhabit Lake Tanganyika and the Ruzizi River, are facing an unprecedented threat, jeopardizing not only their survival, but also the ecological balance of their habitat.
“Acts of poaching are serious violations of environmental rights, which can be considered as ecocide, as stipulated in the Rome Statute, which aims to integrate environmental crimes into international law”, he said. Faced with this critical situation, the Environmental Civil Society is calling for a national concerted effort to safeguard biodiversity and vulnerable species such as the Ruzizi hippos. According to Mr. Aruna, it is imperative that effective protection measures be put in place to eradicate poaching and protect these precious animals. The urgency of taking action to preserve these species is greater than ever, given that last week four hippos were shot dead by gunmen in Luvungi, a tragic reminder of the scale of the problem.
Torrential rains in Kinshasa on the night of April 4-5 caused extensive material damage and loss of life, particularly in the Tshangu district and the commune of Mont Ngafula. Many families are now homeless.