HRW condemns pollution from oil operations in DR Congo

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday that pollution linked to the activities of an Anglo-French oil company in the western Democratic Republic of Congo posed serious health risks to nearby communities.

Perenco is the only oil producer in the mineral-rich central African country and operates several sites along the country's short Atlantic Ocean coastline in the western province of Kongo Central.

HRW said in a report that the company engaged in gas flaring -- the controlled burning of natural gas released during oil production -- at five sites near residential areas.

"Perenco's gas flaring and waste burning have contributed to poor air quality on its concession, creating health risks for local residents," the rights NGO said.

Residents have complained of acute health symptoms, such as chest pain and nausea, which they linked to smoke from burning at a waste treatment facility two kilometres (1.2 miles) from a village, HRW said.

Perenco has also not prevented oil spills from wells and pipelines from leaking into the soil and riverbeds, HRW said based on a site visit and interviews with community members.

"Independent studies conducted in 2013 and 2025 documented serious environmental contamination associated with oil operations in the area that exposed residents to gases, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other compounds well-documented to be toxic and harmful to human health," the study said.

HRW said Perenco in response to its queries had denied that its operations caused pollution and said it considered scientific studies conducted on-site to be "methodologically inadequate".

The company also said it had stopped flaring at 220 spots in its concession.

The Congolese government commissioned an environmental audit of the French-Anglo company's activities in late 2024, the HRW study said.

However, no date has been given for the findings' publication and HRW demanded that all environmental monitoring data be immediately disclosed.