DR Congo
Congolese civil society releases position paper calling into question the legality of DRC oil and gas auction
A group of environmental civil society organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo have just released a position paper detailing the multitude of issues with the government’s auction of oil and gas blocks covering the country’s forests, threatening its carbon-rich peatlands, several protected areas and millions of local livelihoods. The CSOs express concern not only … Read more
Two landmark community forests awarded in the buffer zone of the Lomami National Park in DRC
In exciting news, two forest communities in the Maniema Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo have finally won the legal right to manage their ancestral lands, by setting them up as ‘Community Forests.’ These important legal titles give communities formal recognition and collective rights to the forests that they have traditionally lived in, and … Read more
Community Forests Bring Tangible Change: Reflections of Local Leaders from the DR Congo
Local representatives from the provinces of Equateur, Maniema, North Kivu, South Kivu and Mai Ndombe have all spoken on how securing their lands with community forests has brought palpable change for their communities. To sustain and build on the progress made, they also request continued support, and that promises of increased climate and biodiversity … Read more
Leading scientists back Congolese civil society call to increase forest community land rights to combat climate change
Ahead of crucial upcoming climate talks in Egypt this November, a gathering of international scientists has backed a Congolese civil society call to scale up recognition of indigenous peoples and other local communities’ rights as a key strategy in the fight against climate change. This month, RFUK’s community forest partners joined leading scientists from around … Read more
Apem
APEM (Actions pour la Promotion et Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés) are courageous advocates of human rights and better forest governance, and pioneers in denouncing gender-based violence by conservation agents. In just a few years since their founding, they have become leaders among Congolese NGOs. With them, we aim to put human rights at … Read more
Press Release: Petition of 100,000 signatures handed to DRC President to stop new oil development
Kinshasa, 25 July 2022 – More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling on President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to end the development of new oil and gas fields in the country. The petition was launched earlier this month by Congolese and international NGOs and was handed over today … Read more
Trial begins of timber company accused of shooting and maiming locals
The Congo Sunflower Forestry Development company is currently on trial, accused of orchestrating a series of reprisals and physical violence against the villagers of Tokoma in the Tshuapa province of DRC, after they seized some of the company’s equipment from a site illegally being operated on their lands. According to Mr. Iyoko Elungu, an inhabitant of … Read more
Calls for President Felix Tshisekedi to cancel plans for oil drilling in DRC’s tropical rainforests
RFUK together with Rainforest Rescue, Greenpeace Africa, 350.org and other African civil society groups have launched a petition calling on President Felix Tschisekedi to cancel the upcoming July 28-29 auction of oil exploration rights to some of DRC’s most sensitive tropical forests. The planned auction of 16 oil blocks across the country is a deeply … Read more
New alerts map shows vital role of forest communities in tackling illegal logging
RFUK and its local partners in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Peru have launched a webmap that includes thousands of illegal alerts sent by local community monitors using the ForestLink system. While satellite forest monitoring has transformed our ability to detect forest loss, ForestLink … Read more
NGOs call on Congolese General Prosecutor to investigate the role of several former ministers in illegal logging operations
A group of Congolese and international NGOs have written to DRC’s General Prosecutor calling on him to investigate reports of widespread illegal logging, which implicate as many as six former ministers. On 1 April, the Environment ministry finally released a long-suppressed audit of the country’s logging industry by the Congolese General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF), which found … Read more