The battle for oil in Africa's oldest national park

Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo

THE trouble started when a British company suddenly appeared in this iconic and spectacularly beautiful national park, prospecting for oil.

Villagers who opposed the project were beaten up by government soldiers. A park warden, who tried to block the oil company, Soco International, from building a cellphone tower in the park, was kidnapped and tortured. Virunga's director, a Belgian prince, was shot and nearly killed hours after he delivered a secret report on the oil company's activities.

Much like the fight over drilling on federal lands in the United States, the struggle over oil exploration in Africa's national parks is a classic quandary, pitting economic development against environmental preservation. But out here, the quest for oil seems to be more volatile, and the stakes are arguably higher - on both sides. While West Africa has been a major hydrocarbon producer for decades, new technology such as deeper drilling has led to a bonanza of new energy discoveries here on the continent's east side. Oil companies are now circling s…