As the Democratic Republic of Congo faces multiple crises, major oil companies continue their aggressive push to exploit fossil fuels. For Babawale Obayanju, Campaign Strategist at Oil Change International, « what is happening in the DRC is an ecological and human tragedy orchestrated for short-term profit. »
A threatened ecological treasure
The DRC is home to one of the world’s richest ecosystems. Its peatlands, located in the Central Cuvette, store around 30 gigatonnes of carbon—equivalent to two years of global emissions. Yet 52 new oil blocks have recently been opened for exploration.
« This area, essential to global climate stability, is now being handed over to multinational companies with the blessing of a government neglecting its duty to its people, » warns Babawale Obayanju.
Peace traded for oil
Rather than bringing prosperity, oil exploitation is fueling conflict, destroying forests, and displacing communities. The Albertine Graben, along the border with Uganda, holds an estimated 2.5 billion barrels of oil. In Uganda, TotalEnergies and CNOOC are already developing the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields, connected to the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which could eventually link to blocks on the DRC side.
« This is a strategy of looting disguised as development. Local communities lose their land and sovereignty and are left only with misery and pollution, » stresses Obayanju.
A glaring climate injustice
Africa has contributed only 2% of historical global emissions, yet it is the continent most affected by the climate crisis. In the DRC, droughts, floods, armed conflicts, and mass displacement are intensifying. The eastern provinces North Kivu, Ituri, and South Kivu are at the epicenter of this crisis. Over 7 million people have been displaced, and 23.4 million are facing food insecurity.
« It is immoral that African populations are paying the highest price for a system they did not create. Oil extraction will not save them—it will doom them, » warns Babawale Obayanju.
A viable alternative: Just and renewable transition
According to the Sky’s Limit Africa report, fossil fuel exploitation has deepened inequality and corruption, stripping communities of their natural wealth. For Obayanju, « continuing to invest in fossil fuels is building stranded assets in a rapidly changing world. It’s time to invest in decentralized, renewable, community-based energy solutions that create more jobs and respect life. »
Call to international action
In light of this situation, Oil Change International and its partners call for:
1. An immediate moratorium on new fossil fuel projects in the Congo Basin;
2. Legally binding protections for Indigenous and local communities;
3. Climate finance to support just energy transitions and adaptation;
4. Corporate accountability for those profiting from conflict and environmental destruction.
« The DRC must not become another sacrifice zone for oil companies«
« The DRC is a pillar of global ecological stability. Its people deserve peace, dignity, and a livable future. The world must choose: will we allow short-term profit to destroy our planet’s future, or will we finally act with courage and justice? » concludes Babawale Obayanju.
Mutabesha Banywesize Sardou-Michel
