Approximately two million people , directly and indirectly related to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 , fled to Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , mainly in Virunga National Park . It has been estimated that there were 720,000 refugees living in five camps in the DRC bordering the park ( Katale , Kahindo , Kibumba , Mugunga and Lac Vert ) , 24 . Deforestation occurred as 80,000 refugees travelled into the park daily to find wood . Deforestation occurred at a rate of 0.1 km2 per day . Once the Congo war began in 1996 , 500,000 refugees remained , putting pressure on the natural resources , including the eastern lowland gorilla
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Eastern lowland gorilla