Reject the DRC's involvement in the devastating EACOP project

President Félix Tshisekedi promulgated a controversial law on December 30, 2024 that allowed the ratification of a bilateral agreement dating back to 1990 regarding the exploitation of hydrocarbons from cross-border deposits between the DRC and Uganda. The agreement signed on 23 June 1990 and its amendment signed on 25 January 2008 were previously kept secret. It poses a direct threat to the climate, the environment and local communities, including those living around Lakes Albert and Edward, as well as Virunga and Queen Elizabeth Parks.

A firm condemnation of "Our Land Without Oil"

The Our Land Without Oil campaign vigorously denounces the promulgation of this new law, which states in its preamble that the DRC is a country "with a mining, oil and gas vocation." This vision is in total contradiction with the president's slogan which presents the DRC as a "solution country" to the climate crisis. On the contrary, this text reveals that the DRC could aggravate climate change while increasing the risks of pollution for the environment of local communities, as is already happening for communities in the production areas located in Moanda in the Kongo-Central province. This project therefore jeopardizes the communities bordering Lakes Albert and Edward, but also those living along the Nile basin.

Deposits threaten Virunga Park and Lake Albert

The agreement covers deposits along the DRC-Uganda border, including Lake Albert Blocks I to III and Lake Edward Blocks IV and V. The situation is particularly alarming for Lake Edward, which is an integral part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Virunga National Park, a protected area known for its vulnerability and unique biodiversity. Exploiting this area would jeopardize the park's ecosystem, which is already threatened by the presence of armed groups.

Recurring alerts about oil spills on the Ugandan shores of Lake Albert highlight the environmental risks already present. The new agreement could intensify extraction in this densely populated area, exacerbating this pollution and seriously affecting local communities, including fishermen, farmers and herders who depend directly on these fragile ecosystems. Without the adoption of strict and urgent protection measures, the consequences on people and biodiversity risk being dramatic and irreversible.

Persistent tensions between the DRC and Uganda

These agreements were supposed to reduce the risk of conflict and ensure an equitable sharing of economic revenues from the exploitation of cross-border deposits. However, the law, passed 34 years after the 1990 agreement, expresses a strong distrust of Uganda. Paragraph 9 warns against the possibility of Uganda "pumping or appropriating common reserves by intentionally altering the border line". This clause highlights the persistent tensions and suspicions, emphasizing that only a definitive renunciation of hydrocarbon exploitation in this area ensures the mitigation of rivalries and ambitions between the neighboring countries, while ensuring the region's stability.

Unacceptable support for the destructive EACOP project

By supporting increased hydrocarbon exploitation with Uganda, this agreement also strengthens the controversial EACOP (East African Crude Oil Pipeline) project and its associated oil extraction projects. Indeed, as the oil blocks in Eastern Congo are landlocked, their profitable exploitation implies the possibility of transporting this oil via the EACOP, and the Congolese and Ugandan governments have already made statements to support this.This oil megaproject, which involves the transport of crude oil between Uganda and Tanzania, is causing the displacement of more than 100,000 people and directly threatening Lake Victoria - on which more than 40 million people depend - as well as the Murchison Falls Nature Park. Rejected by more than thirty major international banks and officially condemned by the European Parliament for its violations of human rights and the environment, this project is also facing multiple legal disputes, both at international and national levels.

A precedent showing that these agreements are ineffective at best

This type of agreement may also have as a goal a so-called distribution of revenues from border deposits. The 2007 agreement with Angola for the creation of an Area of Common Interest (ZIC) has shown the limits of these initiatives: according to a confidential World Bank report from 2023 provided to the Congolese presidency, this agreement did not keep the DRC from losing more than $78.8 billion between 2009 and 2021, an amount that the report itself describes as "underestimated." These losses highlight the ineffectiveness of current mechanisms to ensure fair benefits for both sides.

The new law and the bilateral agreements signed by the DRC show that the government seems to be firmly committed to a strategy focused on exploitation of hydrocarbons, without consideration for their environmental, social and economic impacts. This choice raises growing concerns about the non-priority given to sustainable solutions that respect biodiversity and local communities. Rather than reinforcing regional tensions and exacerbating climate challenges, priority should be given to green and sustainable solutions that protect local communities and biodiversity.

The coalition "Our Land Without Oil" and the signatories of this text emphasize the urgency of an immediate and definitive renunciation of all oil and gas exploitation in sensitive areas such as Lakes Albert and Edward, which directly affect the Murchison Falls, Virunga, and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. Priority should be given to redirecting public and private investments towards clean energy projects, biodiversity conservation programs, and sustainable development initiatives benefiting local communities.

First Signatories: Organizations from the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Actions de conservation pour le futur
  • APEM RDC
  • Association Congolaise pour le Relèvement Communautaires (ACRC)
  • Association des Jeunes visionnaires pour le développement du Congo (AJVDC)
  • Association pour le Développement Endogène, la Promotion des Activités des Communautés rurales (ADEPAR)
  • Actions pour le Développement Intégral par la Conservation Communautaire
  • BEIE
  • Cadre d'Acteurs et d'Actions pour le Développement Durable
  • Cadre des acteurs de la société civile pour gouvernance des ressources naturelles dans le Kongo central (CARGN)
  • Cercle des Jeunes Ambassadeurs du Climat (CJAC)
  • CIPRE asbl
  • Crongdkc
  • CYNESA-RDC
  • Dynamiquevoiesdepaix DYVOPAasbl/WAYS OF PEACE DYNAMIC WPD
  • EcoClimate Vision DRC
  • Extinction rebellion universités de GOMA
  • FÉDÉRATION DES COMITÉS DES PÊCHEURS DU LAC ALBERT, FECOPELA en sigle
  • Forum des Engagés pour le Développement Durable (FORED)
  • Forum pour la paix, l'environnement et le développement (FOPED)
  • Healthy Life NGO
  • IDEL (Initiative pour le développement local)
  • Initiative Bonne Gouvernance des Ressources Naturelles au Kivu (IBGRN K)
  • Initiative pour développement local (IDEL)
  • LAUDATO SI MOUVEMENT
  • mojac-rdc
  • Mouvement citoyen débout congolais (MCDC en sigle)
  • Mouvement de jeunes pour la protection de l'environnement (MJPE-RDC)
  • Mouvement des jeunes en actions pour les changements en RDC
  • Parlement des Jeunes
  • Réseau des journalistes engagés pour l'environnement et le climat
  • Réseau des journalistes engagés pour l'environnement et le climat au Kongo central
  • Réseau des organisations des jeunes engagés dans le changement climatique, conservation de la biodiversité, zones humides et forêts en RDCONGO
  • SJDDH "Synergie des Jeunes pour le Développement et les Droits Humains"
  • Solidarité Juridique : Green Justice
  • TRAFFED Asbl
  • TRAFFED RDC Asbl

Signatory Organizations at the International Level

  • East African Crude Oil Pipeline Host Communities - Uganda
  • Stop Total - France
  • Center for Environmental Research and Agriculture Innovations (CERAI) - Uganda
  • Kongomani - Bénin
  • GreenFaith Uganda - Uganda
  • Hawkmoth - The Netherlands
  • Rettet den Regenwald / Rainforest Rescue - Germany
  • GCEC Cameroun - Cameroun
  • Care for Environment - Cameroun
  • Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management (CECIC) - Uganda
  • Fridays for Future Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone
  • Rec Benin - Bénin
  • Smith Nwokocha - Nigeria
  • Laudato Si’ Movement Africa - Kenya
  • Center for Conservation and Ecoenergy Initiative (CCEI) - Uganda
  • Serapeng sa Ditlhare and Environment NPC - South Africa
  • BankTrack - Netherlands
  • Congo Basin Alliance - Germany and DRC
  • TASHA Research Institute Africa - Uganda
  • Just Share NPC - South Africa
  • Natural Justice - South Africa
  • Women on Environment Mission - Uganda
  • AFIEGO - Uganda
  • Foundation for Ecological Preservation Uganda (FEPU) - Uganda
  • Amis de la Terre France / Friends of the Earth France - France
  • Totalement Down - Belgique
  • Dr C Jones, chair Doctors in Unite - UK
  • Women Rising - UK & Global
  • East African Climate Justice Movement - Uganda
  • Rwanisa Environmental Change and Humanitarian Initiative (RECAHI) - Uganda
  • Women of Colour in the Global Women's Strike - UK
  • All African Women's Group - UK
  • Global Women Against Deportations - UK

Mobilization

In addition to signing this statement, the "Our Land Without Oil" coalition invites organizations from around the world to engage with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo by organizing mobilizations, street actions, demonstrations, or any other creative initiative. These actions could particularly take place in front of the DRC embassies in your countries if you are in a city where an embassy is located, in order to denounce this new agreement and the government's intention to exploit oil in our country. These mobilizations can be organized at any time between Monday, January 20 and Sunday, January 26.


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