Authorities and three industrial companies in the Republic of the Congo are failing to protect human rights, according to a report published by Amnesty International on Tuesday.
The organization highlighted the oil spills and smoke emissions caused by two oil companies and one recycling company in the country, analyzing the impact of the incidents on residents in nearby villages. Amnesty International found that the companies, as well as Congolese authorities, failed to meet their international and national responsibilities to protect individuals’ rights, including the right to a healthy environment.
The report focused on the health problems of the residents in villages near the activities of the companies TEPC, Wing Wah, and Metssa Congo. TEPC, a subsidiary of the French oil company Total-Energies, was the main owner of an oil terminal in the fishing village of Djeno until December 2022, and residents reported that the company’s oil spills caused the contamination and shortage of the local fish population. Amnesty International found that TEPC failed to do its due diligence in investigating and responding to the oil spills and that Congolese authorities failed to ensure the oil spills did not harm the community members’ human rights.
Wing Wah, a subsidiary of the Chinese group Southernpec, extracts hydrocarbon near the village of Banga Kayo. Residents of the village claimed the company polluted the local river and spilled crude oil onto the roads, and Amnesty International found that the company breached Congolese environmental law and failed to do its due diligence in “identifying, assessing and communicating any potential adverse human rights impact of its activities.”
Metssa Congo, a subsidiary of the Indian group Metssa, operates a non-ferrous and metal recycling plant in the residential area of Vindoulou. In 2023, blood tests conducted on 18 residents, including nine children, showed that all the individuals had levels of lead in their blood “well above the level deemed safe by WHO.” Amnesty International found that the company failed to conduct an environmental impact assessment, therefore violating national law, and that Congolese authorities “failed to do their duty” by allowing the company to continue operating in the area despite knowing the company was not complying with the law.
Amnesty International additionally noted that residents in the villages of Bondi, Tchicanou and Kouakouala, where oil has been extracted for over 20 years, have significant difficulty in accessing healthcare and drinking water. The organization claimed that Congolese authorities failed to fulfill the right to water and the right to health in accordance with the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which were ratified by the Republic of the Congo.
Oil is the country’s main source of revenue, making up the majority of its export earnings, and recycling companies have also increased business in the country in recent years. The Republic of the Congo passed an environmental protection law in 1991 that defined companies’ responsibilities to protect water sources and established penalties for polluting entities. The country has since strengthened its environmental protection requirements, including by increasing its commitment to protect its forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Republic of the Congo is one of multiple African nations, including Kenya, that has asserted a commitment to climate protection.
According to Amnesty International, however, there is still a lack of transparency in compliance with these requirements. The organization found that environmental impact assessments, for example, are not always carried out, and even when they are conducted the results are often not publicized. The organization stated, “Communities are all too often kept in the dark about the full impact of the industries on their environment, livelihoods, and health.”
