Rwanda National Police

A security operation conducted on Saturday in Nyungwe National Park arrested four people for allegedly destroying the park where they were cutting trees.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region, said that all the suspects are residents of Nyaruguru District, Ruheru Sector, Umusebeya Cell, Mubuga Village.

Mubuga Village in Ruheru Sector borders Nyungwe National Park.

CIP Karekezi identified the suspects as Emmanuel Ziruguru,  54, Anastase Ntamuhanga, 66, Samuel Ruhumbankaka, 50, and  Vincent Harindintwari, 41.

They were handed over to Rwanda Investigation Bureau  (RIB) station at Busanze.

"On June 22, a security patrol in Ruheru along Nyungwe National Park intercepted the four people carrying bundles of bamboo trees, which they had cut in the park," CIP Karekezi said.

CIP Karekezi said that there was information about groups of people who sneak into the National Park especially at night to cut bamboo trees.

"There are some individuals who made it a business to cut bamboo trees in Nyungwe for sell and others for construction," the spokesperson said.

He warned residents against destroying the national park adding that "operations are continuous to arrest anyone engaged in environmental degradation acts."