Concern for the Congolese rainforest, the second lung of the planet after the Amazon. In the presence of multinationals in the sector, President Félix Tshisekedi launched on July 28, 2022 the calls for tenders for the auctioning of 27 oil and 3 gas blocks covering an area of more than 240,000 km² which encroaches on several forest regions. and national parks.
According to the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has oil resources estimated at around 22 billion barrels of oil and 66 billion cubic meters of methane gas in Lake Kivu, located on the border with Rwanda. This could raise the country to the forefront of major oil and gas producers.
“I reassure our partners here of our determination to carry out mining and exploration work using the most modern technological means that protect the environment, fauna and flora and preserve ecosystems as well as ecological balances. “declared the Congolese president during the official launch of this call for tenders in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC.
The environmental organization Greenpeace was not reassured by these remarks. She says she is very worried about the Congolese rainforest and several national parks classified as World Heritage. The NGO calls on Kinshasa to reconsider this plan with “catastrophic” consequences (link in English) for the environment. In letters sent to oil companies, Greenpeace assures that the Congolese government’s plan threatens village communities, biodiversity and the global climate. “This massive auction − strongly opposed by local communities – overlaps peatlands and several protected areas”denounces the NGO.
The central basin is a complex rich in peatlands, in biodiversity” which “contains around 30 gigatonnes of carbon, or the equivalent of three years of global CO2 emissions”
“This auction not only mocks the image of the DRC as a solution to the climate crisis, it exposes the Congolese to the corruption, violence and poverty that inevitably accompany the curse of oil. “said Irène Wabiwa, says Irène Wabiwa, International Project Manager for the Congo Basin Forests Campaign at Greenpeace Africa.
More than 100,000 people have signed a petition asking President Félix Tshisekedi to put an end to the exploitation of new oil and gas fields in the country.
The DRC’s decision comes five months after the signing of a $500 million financing agreement for the protection of Congolese forests at COP26, Greenpeace also deplored.