Kahuzi Biega National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List
under criterion (iv) in 1980, and Virunga National Park,
inscribed under criteria (ii)(iii)(iv) in 1979, both contain the
last population of mountain gorillas. Due to the tragic events
in Rwanda, both parks are under threat given the massive arrival
of refugees from Rwanda. On 31 August 1994 the World Heritage
Centre was informed that a UNHCR refugees camp for 50,000 people
was going to be established near a three-kilometre strip of the
Kahuzi-Biega National Park near Ihembe. The World Heritage
Centre contacted immediately the UNHCR (Geneva), the Director of
IZCN, Mr. Mankoto Ma Mbaelele, (Kinshasa), who was carrying out
monitoring missions at World Heritage sites in Zaire, and a
bilateral project by the GTZ (Germany). The Centre obtained
relocation of the camp near Uvira which took the pressure from
the site. However, in spite of the relocation of the camp, the
entire region and particularly Virunga National Park, situated
at the border between