On 16 February, eight women and fifty-four men from the Salonga landscape officially joined a new ecoguard training wave at the Monkoto headquarters.

Welcomed by the National Commander of the Corps for the Protection of National Parks and Related Reserves (Corps PPN), leading a delegation of experts from Chengeta Wildlife and ICCN, as well as supporting officers from the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo), the recruits immediately received their initial gear (uniforms, boots, sportswear, hammocks, tarpaulins, sleeping bags…) and were briefed with their first official instructions. Preliminary sessions at the headquarters focused on human rights training, community relations, and physical conditioning.

Since 21 February, the group has travelled to Bekongo, a newly built and fully equipped centre located about 50 km from Monkoto, upstream of the Luilaka River, and specifically dedicated to training ecoguards for Salonga.

This first training wave will be followed by a second cohort of similar size in June. It is part of an effort to rejuvenate the workforce following the retirement of 31 ecoguards in November 2024. The arrival of these young recruits—better prepared and progressively professionalized—will bring renewed momentum and strengthen the park’s operational capacity to protect this exceptional heritage.