Employees of the Virunga national park are battling to keep a chocolate factory running in the eastern democratic republic of Congo. Their aim is to process cocoa locally, to prevent it being smuggled to neighbouring Uganda, and to create jobs to combat enrolment in illegal armed groups.

Congo: Employees of Virunga national park battle to keep chocolate factory running

Tourists&nbsp;who were near the crater the Nyiragongo&nbsp;volcano&nbsp;in the Democratic Republic Congo erupted are&nbsp;safe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said Sunday.

Nor were the rare mountain&nbsp;gorillas&nbsp;in the Virunga National Park threatened by the&nbsp;eruption, the institute added.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lava-stops-short-of-congo-city-after-volcanic-eruption-386816">Lava stops short of Congo city after volcanic eruption</a>

"The&nbsp;tourists&nbsp;present yesterday at the crater are&nbsp;safe&nbsp;and sound", the institute, which oversees the wildlife sanctuary, said on Twitter, without indicating their numbers or nationalities.

The park, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, covers 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of tropical rainforest that is notably home to the world's biggest population of eastern lowland&nbsp;gorillas.

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The Nyiragongo&nbsp;volcano, whose slopes of which dominate the city of Goma and Lake Kivu, erupted suddenly on Saturday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing in panic.

A vast river of molten lava came to a halt Sunday on the outskirts of Goma, sparing the city.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lava-stops-short-of-congo-city-after-volcanic-eruption-386816">Lava stops short of Congo city after volcanic eruption</a>

The Goma region is a zone of intense seismic activity, with six volcanos, including Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira, which rise to 3,470 and 3,058 metres (11,384 and 10,033 feet) respectively.

Eruptions are frequent, not just from craters but from the sides of the volcanos.

Tourists who were near the crater the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic Congo erupted are safe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said Sunday.

Tourists who were near the crater the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic Congo erupted are safe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said Sunday. Nor were the rare mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park threatened by the eruption, the institute added. Also Read | Lava stops short of Congo city after volcanic eruption "The tourists present yesterday at the crater are safe and sound", the institute, which oversees the wildlife sanctuary, said on Twitter, without indicating their numbers or nationalities. The park, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, covers 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of tropical rainforest that is notably home to the world's biggest population of eastern lowland gorillas. Also Read | Congo volcanic eruption: Indian peacekeepers play key role in saving civilians, UN assets The Nyiragongo volcano, whose slopes of which dominate the city of Goma and Lake Kivu, erupted suddenly on Saturday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing in panic. A vast river of molten lava came to a halt Sunday on the outskirts of Goma, sparing the city. Also Read | Lava stops short of Congo city after volcanic eruption The Goma region is a zone of intense seismic activity, with six volcanos, including Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira, which rise to 3,470 and 3,058 metres (11,384 and 10,033 feet) respectively. Eruptions are frequent, not just from craters but from the sides of the volcanos.

Tourists and gorillas 'safe' after DRC volcano eruption

When rangers in Congo's Virunga National Park discovered three-year-old baby gorilla Theodore tangled in a poacher's snare this month, they knew they had to act fast. Theodore's left hand was caught in the illegal trap, potentially restricting blood flow and causing infection if left untended.

Coronavirus causes poaching spike in Congo's gorilla habitat

The ranger behind a viral selfie featuring two gorillas standing on their two legs spoke about how the primates often imitate human behaviours in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mathieu Shamavu works as a ranger and caretaker at the Senkwekwe Center for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas and took a selfie with two rescued gorillas called Ndakasi and Ndeze on April 18.

'These gorillas always surprise us,’ says ranger who took viral selfie