CIVICUS discusses oil expansion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with Emmanuel Musuyu, national coordinator of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Monitoring Reforms and Public Action (CORAP), a network of over 50 Congolese organisations that defend community rights and the environment and urge sustainable development independent of fossil fuels.

On 29 July, the DRC government announced the launch of a tender for 55 new oil blocks, sparking outrage among civil society. Climate and environmental organisations are sounding the alarm about an extractive project on an unprecedented scale that could potentially cover over half of the DRC’s territory. The planned expansion directly threatens the livelihoods of millions of people and the precious ecosystems they rely on, raising questions about the fossil-fuel driven development model and the government’s commitment to tackling climate change.

How does this tender constitute an environmental threat?

As soon as the tender was announced in July, we immediately analysed the maps and discovered alarming overlaps with intact forests, protected areas and the peatlands of the Central Basin. This is the world’s largest tropical peatland complex and is essential for carbon storage and climate regulation. These natural reservoirs store billions of tonnes of carbon and play a major role in combating global warming. Degrading or draining them would release massive greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to several years’ worth of global emissions. These areas are not just dots on a map: they are our natural defences against climate change and our reservoirs of globally important biodiversity.

We also noticed that several blocks overlap with the Kivu-Kinshasa green corridor, inaugurated just a few months ago to connect ecosystems and protect fauna and flora. This initiative was presented as demonstrating the government’s strong commitment to conservation. However, now over half of this corridor is under threat from oil exploitation, creating a glaring inconsistency in government policy and sending a contradictory message to the rest of the world. You can’t talk about protection while planning the destruction of a conservation tool that has only just been created.

The figures speak for themselves: almost 23 per cent of the DRC’s high biodiversity areas – around eight million hectares – are directly threatened by these blocks. These hectares contain primary forests that are home to exceptional wildlife, clean water sources, medicinal plants and resources on which millions of people depend for their livelihoods. Disrupting these areas would weaken entire ecosystems and reduce their ability to regenerate.

At a time when every country must reduce its emissions, opening up the most sensitive areas to drilling is a choice that goes against all climate logic. This threat affects not just the DRC but the entire international community.

On top of this, there are the potential impacts on community forests, which are vital to the livelihoods of millions of people, including Indigenous communities. These forests are their pharmacy, their supermarket, their bank and their sacred place.

What would the consequences be for local communities?

This will have numerous and worrying impacts on the ground. Families tell us that gas flaring directly impacts on the growth of oil palms, which are essential for producing palm wine. Previously, people only needed to climb a few trees to get five litres. Now, they have to climb around 50. This degradation affects more than the economy: it also impacts on health, nutrition and traditions. Farmland is deteriorating, rivers are becoming polluted and crop yields are falling year after year.

A major problem is the lack of genuine consultation. Free, prior and informed consent, which is a fundamental right, is rarely respected. Projects are imposed from above, without discussion, and people often only find out about concessions once the damage has already begun. This creates a climate of mistrust and deep injustice, fuelling social tensions. Ultimately, these projects threaten more than the environment: they destroy the cohesion and stability of communities.

How would you respond to the government’s economic justifications?

The government justifies this expansion with promises of tax revenues, job creation and economic development. But experience has taught us what these economic promises are really worth: we already know the consequences in other oil-producing areas. Kinkazi, operated by Perenco-Rep, is a telling example: only one permanent job was created for one local resident, plus two or three temporary jobs at most. Meanwhile, traditional activities such as agriculture and fishing are in decline. The reality is that exploitation enriches outsiders while local communities suffer the environmental and social consequences.

We are not opposed to development, but this project, in its current form, endangers our natural and human heritage for the benefit of a select few. How can we present ourselves as a country that offers solutions to the climate crisis while handing our most precious ecosystems over to the oil industry? We envision development that preserves our resources for future generations rather than sacrificing them for short-term gains.

What is civil society calling for?

Our position is clear: as it currently stands, this tender must be cancelled because it poses a direct threat to our ecosystems, our communities and our climate commitments. We are also calling for a moratorium on all new oil concessions in areas of high ecological value. Such a moratorium would enable a genuine national debate including civil society, scientists and local communities to collectively determine the future of the DRC’s energy and economy.

If a new process is launched, it must be completely overhauled. Independent environmental and social impact assessments must be conducted by experts with no ties to industry or government, and the results must be published in full. Local communities must be fully involved from the outset, and a legal mechanism must be put in place to grant them the right to veto projects on their land. This is what free, prior and informed consent really means, not a signature extracted under pressure or obtained retroactively.

However, we propose a tangible alternative. As a coalition of over 50 organisations, we are developing and promoting viable solutions, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, universal access to electricity, training and green jobs. These are realistic projects that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen our resilience to the climate crisis. The DRC has the potential to be a solution country, but only if we reject false solutions and invest in development that protects our resources and our rights.