In response to charges made by the international NGO, Greenpeace, against the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), Minister Ambatobe’s office has released a statement to clarify some aspects of the case. In a press release issued Tuesday evening, 20 January 2018, regarding Greenpeace’s allegations, the MEDD insisted and signed a statement to the effect that, "the reallocation of said concessions does not violate the moratorium on logging concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".

Researchers in the Lukolama peatlands (Province of Ecuador). Photo credits infoCongo.

According to the signatories of the press release, of which ENVIRONEWS DRC obtained a copy, the reallocation of logging concessions mentioned by Greenpeace, in no way flouted Congolese law, or any of the provisions of the Republic’s commitments to third parties. "Having assessed the concession holders’ operations, the law provides that if the Congolese State spots any lapses on the part of their leader, she has authority to retrieve the concessions and assign them to other concession holders". The release says.

The release underscores that the moratorium on Congo’s forests applies only to unexploited logging concessions, whereas those mentioned in the Greenpeace report were already part of a logging operation. They are therefore not covered by the moratorium.

As for the peatlands, the Ministry of the Environment specified that they are currently not under threat since they are located in areas that are not geographically conducive to logging activity.

In the meantime, the Congolese Parliament is expected to look into the issue during the March 2018 session, as hinted by the hon. Member of`Parliament, Juvénal Munubo.

« At the Parliamentary session in March 2018, the Minister of the Environment of #DRC must be questioned by the@AssembleeN on this sale of 650.000 hectares of forest… »-JM@MinakuAubin @Irenewabiwa @RFUK @greenpeacefr@GW_DRC @environews_rdc @Labarrejennife2@DidacePembe https://t.co/XIk4q0lXWu

— Juvénal MUNUBO (@juvenalmunubo) February 21, 2018