In their August 7 statement, AFC/M23 claimed that "Kanyakiri, Kigaligali, Dubai, Katanga, Lubumbashi, Kasave, Kakoro and Busesa are located mainly within the Virunga National Park, a protected area where all agricultural activity is strictly prohibited. How could farmers have been massacred in fields that don't exist?". While most of the villages are inside the park perimeter, satellite imagery from July 2, 2025, shows that these areas were farmed at the time, the protected and forested area only effectively starting west of the Rutshuru river. Earlier images show the presence of fields since at least 2015. Image
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