Perenco DRC. In the face of mounting criticism regarding its oil operations in Moanda, Kongo-Central province, Franco-British oil company Perenco has categorically denied causing any environmental harm.
During a meeting in Moanda that included Kongo-Central national deputies and civil society groups, Hydrocarbons Minister Molendo Sakombi and Arthur Gueriot, Perenco’s general director in the DRC, addressed the environmental concerns.
Gueriot emphasized that Perenco adheres to current environmental regulations and undergoes frequent inspections by both national and international bodies. He dismissed the allegations as baseless and misleading. “Many people spread false and opportunistic information. We are committed to environmental protection,” he affirmed.
Gueriot also highlighted Perenco’s efforts to support local sanitation initiatives. One notable project involves backing a company that recycles plastic waste collected from Moanda’s streets and the Congo River, transforming it into reusable products. This initiative pays local villagers for the waste they gather, contributing to both environmental clean-up and local incomes.
Despite these claims, local residents tell a different story, reporting severe poverty and lack of essential services like electricity, clean water, roads, healthcare, and education. Pauline Mbenza, second vice-president of the consultation committee of the territory of Moanda (CCTM), stressed the harsh living conditions and unemployment faced by the community.
Investigate Europe, a consortium of investigative journalists, has documented the environmental and human impacts of Perenco’s activities, identifying 167 pollution incidents linked to the company from 2012 to 2021. This pollution endangers protected species in the Mangrove Marine Park, established in 1992 to protect hippos, manatees, monkeys, and turtles.
The ongoing debate highlights a significant divide between Perenco’s assurances and the lived realities of Moanda’s residents, underscoring the broader environmental and social challenges of oil exploitation in the region.