- Congo-Brazzaville is to auction 27 oil and gas blocks, up from 16 in May.
- The blocks will reach Virunga National Park, a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Congo.
- A petition signed by over 100,000 individuals is urging President Felix Tshisekedi to halt the construction.
Congo says it will proceed with plans to auction off the vast bulk of oil and gas drilling blocks in the country’s rainforest and peatland.
The Ministry of Hydrocarbon stated that 27 oil and 3 gas blocks will be auctioned, up from 16 in May.
The blocks reach Virunga National Park, a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Congo.
Didier Budimbu, Congo’s hydrocarbons minister, claimed oil exploitation would help the public.
“The president, Felix Tshisekedi, has a vision and he wants to get his population out of poverty,” Budimbu said during a press conference.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the DRC has more than 27 million people, including over 3 million children, who do not have enough food to eat themselves – one-third of the country’s population – and more than 5 million people who are internally displaced.
According to a news report, a petition signed by over 100,000 individuals is urging Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi to halt the construction of new oil and gas reserves in the country.
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