Congo’s Virunga park is auctioning oil permits, endangering gorillas

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27th Jul, 2022. 07:36 pm
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Congo-Brazzaville is to auction 27 oil and gas blocks, up from 16 in May.
The blocks will reach Virunga National Park, a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Congo.
A petition signed by over 100,000 individuals is urging President Felix Tshisekedi to halt the construction.

Congo says it will proceed with plans to auction off the vast bulk of oil and gas drilling blocks in the country’s rainforest and peatland.

The Ministry of Hydrocarbon stated that 27 oil and 3 gas blocks will be auctioned, up from 16 in May.

The blocks reach Virunga National Park, a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Congo.

Didier Budimbu, Congo’s hydrocarbons minister, claimed oil exploitation would help the public.

“The president, Felix Tshisekedi, has a vision and he wants to get his population out of poverty,” Budimbu said during a press conference.

According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the DRC has more than 27 million people, including over 3 million children, who do not have enough food to eat themselves – one-third of the country’s population – and more than 5 million people who are internally displaced.

According to a news report, a petition signed by over 100,000 individuals is urging Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi to halt the construction of new oil and gas reserves in the country.

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“Only six months after signing a $500 million forest protection deal at the COP26, the Congolese government is declaring war against our planet with oil and gas,” said Irene Wabiwa Betoko, International Project Leader for the Congo Basin forest, Greenpeace Africa. “The immediate price will be paid by Congolese communities, who are not aware of the auction, have not been consulted or informed of the risks to their health and livelihoods. Many of them will rise up against it — and we shall stand with them.”

Budimbu responded to critics of the auction by saying that non-governmental organisations cannot dictate how a sovereign country is led.

“The option we took is to give to those from the poorest backgrounds to try and improve their lives through their economy so 100,000 signatures is fine but there are Congolese who need to eat,” Budimbu stated.

Virunga National Park is located atop the forest-covered volcanoes of central Africa and is home to more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population.

The Virunga National Park is Africa’s most biologically diversified protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage site area.

It is composed of carbon-rich peatland and primary forest, which when logged emit massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, contributing to the climate problem. Deforestation also destroys a vital “sponge” for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
The extension of oil drilling licences is one of several examples of a surge in fossil fuel exploration and consumption in the midst of the global energy crisis.

Congo’s Virunga park is auctioning oil permits, endangering gorillas

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