(CNN) Although there is a request for climate change activists, the Democratic Republic of Congo said they moved forward with their plans to auction the majority of oil and gas drilling blocks located in the rainforest and peatlands in the country.
In a statement, the Ministry of Hydrocarbon said 27 oil and 3 gas blocks would be auctioned, an increase from 16 state blocks which initially committed in May.
The block includes areas that reach Virunga National Park, a shelter for gorillas that are endangered in East Congo.
Didier Budimbu, the Minister of Hydrocarbon of the State said that Tuesday the exploitation of oil would benefit the Congo population.
“The president, Felix Tshisekesi, has a vision and he wants to get his population out of poverty,” Budimbu said during a press conference.
DRC has more than 27 million people, including more than 3 million children, who do not have enough food to feed themselves – one third of the country’s population – and more than 5 million people who displaced internally, according to the Norwegian refugee council.
A petition signed by more than 100,000 people asked President Felix Tshisections from the Democratic Republic of Congo to end the development of new oil and gas fields in the country, according to news release from Greenpeace USA.
“Only six months after signing a $ 500 million forest protection agreement in COP26, the Congo government declared a war against our planet with oil and gas,” said Irene Wabiwa Betoko, the leader of the international project for the Basin Kongo forest, Greenpeace Africa. “Direct prices will be paid by the Congo community, who do not know the auction, have not been consulted or told about their health risks and livelihoods. Many of them will rise against them – and we will stand with them.”
Budboo encourages auction critics who state that non-governmental organizations cannot determine how sovereign countries are led.
The choice we made was to give to those who from the poorest background to try and improve their lives through their economy so that 100,000 signatures were good but there were Congo people who needed to eat, “said Budimbu.
The Ministry of Hydrocarbon said it was open to local and international offers.
“Whether you are an oil or gas operator, potential investor or government member, operates nationally or internationally, you are welcome!” Said the Ministry in Tweet.
According to Greenpeace, only “small and medium companies” tend to take part in the auction.
“We suspect it might be a small, medium, and less well -known company that will explore … and if there is great potential, maybe a large oil company will jump,” the International Communication Coordinator Greenpeace Tal Harris told CNN.
The auction will take place on July 28 and 29
African Oldest National Park
Virunga National Park is located on a volcano covered with forests in Central Africa and is home to more than half the global population of Gorilla Mountains.
Virunga National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and is the oldest park in Africa and the most biologically diverse protected area.
This consists of carbon-rich peatlands and primary forests, which when recorded, release a large amount of carbon-dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, contribute to the climate crisis. Deforestation also eliminates “sponges” important to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
Expansion of oil drilling permits is one of the more examples of increasing fossil fuel exploration and use in the midst of a global energy crisis.