“Voice of the Peasant” works to train and inform citizens: a commitment to social and climate justice.
At the mouth of the Congo River, in the territory of Muanda, the people of Kinkazi are living through a silent tragedy. For years, oil exploitation by the company Perenco has turned their daily lives into a nightmare. Far from the promises of development and prosperity, local communities have reaped only pollution, poverty, and violations of their fundamental rights. The drilling sites, gas flares, and waste discharges have severely damaged the environment: mangroves are being destroyed, water is contaminated, and fish are disappearing. The land that once fed them is now barren.
Extractivism Without Benefit for the Communities
While the oil extracted from Muanda serves international markets and fuels the state budget, the neighbouring communities see no fair return. There are no proper social infrastructures, no good schools or health centres, and no compensation for the harm suffered. This colonial-style extractivist model, inherited from a history of dispossession, continues to sacrifice local populations in the name of profit and short-term growth. Environmental impunity reigns.
Voices Rising Despite Intimidation
In response, the communities of Kinkazi are refusing to stay silent. Supported by organisations such as Afrewatch, CORAP, and WoMin African Alliance, they are denouncing Perenco’s abuses and demanding justice, reparations, and respect for their rights. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, a symbolic space for popular justice, is helping to document and expose the suffering endured. Despite threats and repression, women, youth, and elders continue to speak out, carrying the voices of the voiceless.
For Immediate Climate and Social Justice
This local struggle is part of a broader global fight — for climate justice, for the sovereignty of peoples over their resources, and for an end to corporate impunity. Political actors, the media, civil society, and international institutions must heed Kinkazi’s call. It is time for the wealth of the Congolese subsoil to benefit those who live there — and for oil exploitation to stop being synonymous with destruction.
#ResourcesForThePeople #ClimateJustice #StopImpunity
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