As the designated interlocutor for the Government of the DRC in the field of the environment, forests, and climate change, the GTCRR condemns the statements made by Greenpeace and believes that there has been no violation of the law concerning the area granted.

Furthermore, they add that the experts deployed on the sites confirm the allocation of a total of 885,125 hectares for three companies: ERA Congo Sarl with 188,835 ha in the territory of Basankusu, SORFA Congo Sarl which obtained 114,000 ha in the territory of Bikoro and 282,950 ha in the territory of Basoko, whereas WWC Congo sarl has 299,995 hectares in the territory of Businga, contrary to the claims of Greenpeace Africa.

Civil society also confirms that these three Congolese entities do not have the same shareholders and were registered directly at the single counter. And that none of them have concessions with an area larger than 300,000 hectares in a single block or more than 500,000 hectares of multiple blocks.

However, the GTCRR regrets that each time Greenpeace Africa publishes an article concerning environmental issues, it does not consult the national civil society to gather their opinions and considerations.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) loses about one million hectares of its forests every two years, lamented Idesbald Chinamura, an expert from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in 2017.

Cathy Ibandula