Bili Forest

[3] It sits on land covered in marshlands, swamps and savannah, with patches of forest, while to the south of the Uélé lies dense unbroken rainforest.

[7] The troubles in the neighbouring country of the Central African Republic have caused a large number of people to cross the nearby Mbomou river to seek refuge here.

[9] There are also numerous informal refugee camps along the border on the near bank of the Mbomou and Ubangi, such as Baladamo Rive, housing 90,000 people in makeshift shelters.

[10] In 2014, the Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF) declared the entire region from the Uélé to the Mbomou to be the 'Bili–Mbomu Forest Savanna Mosaic'.

In 2015, the AWF complained of artisanal miners and indigenous Mbororo people crossing the river from the north, as they survive as cattle herdsmen and might hunt animals, as well as the Lord's Resistance Army, an extremist Christian militia.

In early 2015, the NGO brought in Maisha Group Ltd., a commando training company, which established a field office in Bili.

[11][12] As of 2019, the AWF uses UAV technology and spatial modelling to protect the wildlife in the area, funded by western charities.