Congo Diocese Links Oil Activity to Crop Losses and Environmental Damage

The Diocese of Pointe-Noire and Caritas have reported alleged environmental damage, reduced cassava harvests and declining fruit trees in Congo's Kouilou department, with residents blaming gas...

A report from the Diocese of Pointe-Noire, prepared with Caritas, has linked oil production activities to worsening environmental conditions and agricultural losses in the Republic of Congo.

The report says farmers in the Kouilou department have experienced sharp reductions in cassava harvests. It also describes unusual diseases affecting fruit trees, with many reportedly drying out or dropping their fruit before it is ready.

Residents blame gas flaring

Residents in the affected areas have attributed the damage to gas flaring by oil companies. The diocese said soil, water and air in the region were contaminated at levels exceeding limits set by the World Health Organization.

Those findings and allegations were presented by the diocese and residents; the available report does not provide measurements, detailed evidence or a methodology for assessing the contamination levels.

The Diocese of Pointe-Noire identified Total, ENI, SNPC and Wing Wah as the biggest culprits in the reported environmental damage. The claims concern areas around Pointe-Noire and the wider Kouilou department on the Atlantic coast.

Gas-flaring exceptions

Gas flaring was banned in Congo in 2007. Authorities granted exceptions to that ban in 2022, although the available information does not identify which authorities approved them or specify the conditions attached to the exemptions.

The issue has also drawn attention from Amnesty International. The organisation examined oil spills and smoke emissions associated with TotalEnergies EP Congo, Wing Wah and Metssa Congo in Pointe-Noire and Kouilou.

Amnesty International said in an assessment associated with 2024 that Congolese authorities were not doing enough to ensure industrial companies protected human and environmental rights in communities where people lived.

The report’s allegations concern environmental contamination, crop losses and possible links to oil-related activity. No responses from the named companies or Congolese authorities were provided in the available information.