November 18, 2012

Monitoring Security Situation in Goma

As fighting worsened this weekend around the city of Goma, DR Congo, we are taking precautions to protect our Congolese staff who are based there, and making plans for their evacuation, including their family members, if needed.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund currently has four Congolese staff based in Goma and all have reported in safe, in their homes. One other staff person from a different area of Congo is also currently in Goma. Our top staff person in Congo is carefully monitoring the situation and remains in continuous communication with our chief operating officer, who is located across the border in Rwanda.

The Fossey Fund does not have any expatriate staff in DR Congo at this time, following increased security issues in various areas that began earlier this year.

However, our gorilla protection, research, and community programs there have continued without interruption, carried on by our Congolese staff. All our field staff elsewhere, including those at the GRACE gorilla rescue center, are unaffected by these recent developments and have reported in safe.
It is our greatest hope that the coming days will lead to a peaceful resolution to this situation.

Clare Richardson, president and CEO