DRC: Stop the harassment of Congo's environmental defenders!
Logging – much of it illegal – is driving the destruction of the Congo Basin (© Rettet den Regenwald / Mathias Rittgerott)
The rainforests of the Congo Basin are home to forest elephants, bonobos and gorillas (© Roger de la Harpe/Shutterstock.com)
Gorillas, bonobos, okapi – the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Yet illegal logging remains a grave threat. Many Congolese people are standing up to protect nature and defend human rights. But in doing so, they face harassment and legal persecution.
Call to actionTo: the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the DRC, in cc to international donors of CAFI and the German government
“End the persecution, arrest, intimidation and harassment of forest and human rights activists. Strengthen environmental protection.”
The Congo Basin is home to the world’s second-largest rainforest, with 60 percent of it located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This makes the country a global biodiversity hotspot. President Felix Tshisekedi has positioned the nation as a ‘solution country’ in addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and international donors like the European Union are supporting this vision with millions of euros.
Countless courageous women and men – particularly Indigenous peoples and local communities – are working tirelessly to safeguard these forests for everyone.
However, the Congolese government is falling short in its responsibilities:
1. Forest and human rights activists face intimidation, harassment, persecution and imprisonment at the hands of companies, powerful individuals, and state authorities such as the military, police, prosecutors, and courts.
For example, in November, a court in Maniema Province sentenced environmental activist Yahya Mirambo Bin Lubangi to six months in prison and imposed a steep fine. Lubangi is part of SOCEARUCO, a local organization fighting illegal logging, especially of rosewood.
2. The government is failing to enforce forestry regulations meant to protect nature and Indigenous peoples’ rights. For instance, the moratorium on new logging concessions, which has been in place since 2002, has not curbed illegal activities or timber smuggling.
The outcome: one of the highest rates of deforestation of any country in the world.
We urge our government to stop the threats and arrests targeting environmental defenders by ensuring the protection of these unsung heroes.”
-Josué Aruna, Executive Director, Congo Basin Conservation Society
Please sign our petition and the DRC Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development and the international donors of the Central African Forest Initiative to end the harassment and acknowledge environmental defenders as partners in protecting the climate and biodiversity.
LetterTo: the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the DRC, in cc to international donors of CAFI and the German government
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world. Its government promotes it as a ‘solution country’ in the fight against the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
However, illegal logging remains a serious threat.
Many brave women and men are working tirelessly to protect the environment and uphold human rights. Despite their dedication to the common good – especially for nature and future generations – they face harassment, wrongful arrests, and prosecution.
We urge you to take action to protect forests and those who defend them.
- Instruct security agencies, judicial authorities, and forestry administrations in the provinces to end all arrests, prosecutions, intimidation, and harassment of environmental defenders. Without their efforts, the DRC cannot achieve its goals for climate action, biodiversity preservation, or poverty reduction.
- Work with environmental defenders to halt the illegal exploitation of natural resources and combat corruption.
- Acknowledge environmental defenders as essential partners in implementing global agreements to protect the climate and biodiversity.
Yours faithfully,
Studies by international organizations such as Human Rights Watch paint a bleak picture of the situation on the ground. Activists and journalists cannot work freely. Environmentalists on the ground report numerous cases of persecution, arrest and harassment. The number of unreported cases is likely to be high.
has not curbed illegal activities or timber smuggling
On the contrary, the government has repeatedly threatened to lift the moratorium altogether.
It is also still seeking to exploit oil and gas deposits in the Cuvette Centrale peat forest complex, in rainforests and in Virunga National Park, although it has canceled the auction of 30 concessions.
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