SAVE VIRUNGA
Stop Oil Exploration in Africa's Oldest National Park
Our Mother Earth: militarized, fenced-in, and poisoned, A place where basic rights Are systematically violated, Demands that we take action I dedicate this award to all forms of rebellion And to all the martyrs in the fight to defend nature Berta Cáceres In 2019 help us spread the word and support the DRC Government to make the… Read More
“I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.” — Nelson Mandela. On December 10th we commemorate Human Rights Day, the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This… Read More
“Almost four environmental defenders a week killed in 2017” Environmental Warriors Environmental activists around the globe are being killed as they struggle to protect fragile ecosystems. From Brazil to Congo, the Philippines to Tanzania, the toll is heaviest in countries beset by corruption and weak enforcement, where entrenched government and business elites break laws with… Read More
Our Mother Earth: militarized, fenced-in, and poisoned, A place where basic rights Are systematically violated, Demands that we take action I dedicate this award to all forms of rebellion And to all the martyrs in the the fight to defend nature To my mother To the Lenca People Berta Cáceres acceptance speech for the 2015 Goldman… Read More
#WORLDRANGERDAY2017 – PARK RANGERS UNDER ATTACK IN THE DRC 10 defenders killed in the DRC in 2016 – the highest number in Africa 9 of those killed were park rangers The DRC government is threatening those campaigning against abuses in the natural resource sector Natural predators are the least of Rodrigue Katembo’s worries… Read More
Friends of the Earth International The neoliberal model of ‘development’ is ravaging nature and pitting communities and eco-defenders against powerful corporations and colluding police and military forces. The violence must stop! Around the world, activists and communities are raising their voices to stop environmental devastation and promote the possibility of another world, where nature is… Read More
Move follows film backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and pleas by local NGOs, environmentalists, transparency campaigners and members of the UK Parliament to protect Congo’s Virunga park. The church – led by archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, a former oil executive – has said that it may sell its near £3m stake in Soco International unless… Read More
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai : “The connection between peace and the environment can be explained using the traditional African stool, which has three legs that support the base on which we sit. I believe these three legs are symbolic. One represents good management of our natural resources, equitable distribution of the same, and… Read More
(Kinshasa) – Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should fully and impartially investigate threats and violence against Virunga National Park rangers and local activists, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should examine whether the incidents are linked to plans to explore for oil within and near Virunga Park by SOCO International, a British oil company operating in… Read More
No more words needed. Many local defenders have been alerting the world of the dangers community members and themselves are facing when fighting for Virunga and the sustainable development option. They are often putting their lives, their staff and their organizations at risk. Virunga cannot survive without them, without their voice and courage. We wish… Read More
CIVIL SOCIETY INSECURITY & THREATS TIME TO JOINT THE MOVEMENT AND PROTECT VIRUNGA DEFENDERS Since the beginning of SOCO’s exploration operations in Virunga National Park, Environmental and Human Rights defenders fighting for the survival of the park and the respect of community rights have been target of intimidations and threats. Across DRC and the Great… Read More
DRC civil society calls Joseph Kabila to cancel the production sharing agreement signed with the company SOCO International PLC in Virunga national Park. This was the result of a day of discussions around the oil exploration activities of the British Company SOCO and its impact on the future of Virunga National Park, as well as surrounding… Read More
SAVE VIRUNGA 