Gorillas diplomacy: Tourism boom for trekking visitors in north Rwanda

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00:00 They are some of Rwanda's greatest treasures.

00:03 23 baby mountain gorillas have been born in the Volcanoes Park since last September.

00:07 Every year the country holds a ceremony for the newborn apes at the foot of the Virunga mountains.

00:13 Movie stars, business leaders and diplomats from all over the world have gathered,

00:17 excited at having been given the privilege of naming the infant animals.

00:21 All your friends in the United Kingdom want to salute the government of Rwanda

00:28 for the so many brilliant things which are being done in this great country.

00:34 The presence of the British minister reflects the UK's deepening diplomatic ties with Rwanda,

00:39 where Westminster is hoping to send thousands of asylum seekers.

00:42 For Kigali, the naming ceremony is an opportunity to present itself in a favourable light.

00:47 The modern tradition began in 2005 and is an effective means of self-promotion.

00:52 The economy is connected to conservation and to tourism.

00:56 And it's thanks to what we have done, including this beautiful ceremony.

01:01 It's very, very important to make this ceremony international.

01:04 We are calling all international visitors to come to Rwanda to visit the mountain gorillas.

01:11 In 2022, over 100,000 tourists visited the country's natural parks.

01:16 Across Uganda, Rwanda, India, Congo, there are at least 600 gorillas distributed throughout the region.

01:21 When the alpha one moves, even wherever they are, they come and follow him.

01:27 Several armed groups operate around North Kivu in DRC,

01:30 and it's been mired in a security crisis since March 2022.

01:34 Instability that undermines efforts to protect the great apes.

01:38 For instance, for the wildlife, there is no borders.

01:42 The security situation is one more difficulty for the preservation of the wildlife.

01:48 So of course, every effort has to be put into the betterment of the security situation.

01:53 Kigali has been accused by the United Nations of supporting the M23,

01:57 the primary armed group behind the Congolese conflict.

02:00 Rwanda has always denied these allegations.

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