SAVE VIRUNGA
Stop Oil Exploration in Africa's Oldest National Park
On July 11th of this year North-Kivu Civil Society Groups wrote a Memorandum to the Director-General of the UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova, reiterating their views against oil exploration in Virunga National park and expressing their deep concerns in front of the possible redrawing of the park boundaries in order to accommodate oil exploration and exploitation… Read More
New Scientist by Andy Coghlan For years an oil company has been planning to drill in one of Africa’s key national parks. Now conservation and heritage organisations are joining forces in a bid to stop them. In the aftermath of a brutal civil war, a majestic natural landscape teeming with exotic wildlife is being threatened by… Read More
Instead of the hoped tourists, now the oil industry is moving in and stating that their positive effects would easily balance minor environmental damages… Unofficial translation of the German article Die Zeit “Der große Ausverkauf des Virunga-Nationalparks” By Jonas Schaible Although the Democratic Republic of Congo through the last two decades has had to mourn… Read More
Kinshasa, DRC – On the 7th of November, Serge Lescaut, SOCO’s Central Africa director announced that the UK Oil company will be waiting for the results of the Strategic Environmental Assessment commissioned by the DRC government and supported by the EU. The company official says to have the full support of DRC government and will… Read More
“Dialogue Congolais”: Intimidating behavior on the part of the SOCO-ICCN coalition #1 Source: On Behalf of IDPE
Extract from Amnesty International’s last report on Mining and Human Rights in Katanga. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has some of the world’s most important mineral reserves. For more than a decade the extraction of these resources has been linked to conflict, human rights abuses and corruption. In the southern province of Katanga, people’s… Read More
This week’s alarming headline by Jonny Hogg: “Congo seeks to open way to oil drilling in national parks” reveals how the government of the DRC is planning to go ahead with oil exploration within National Parks. DRC’s parliament is to debate, as early as this month, the new Hydrocarbon bill that could permit oil exploration… Read More
KINSHASA, Sept 25 (Reuters) – The British government said on Tuesday it is opposed to London-based oil company Soco International exploring for oil in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, which is a last refuge for the region’s mountain gorillas. “We have informed Soco and urge the government of DR Congo to fully respect… Read More
Statement on inaccuracies in the conservation group websites regarding SOCO’s activities Thursday 28 June 2012 To coincide with the UNESCO World Heritage Convention currently taking place in St Petersburg, certain conservation groups have placed articles on their websites which contain inaccuracies about SOCO International plc’s activities in Block V, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).… Read More
SAVE VIRUNGA 