The 23 March Movement (M23) has once again been accused of pillaging the wildlife and floral resources of Virunga National Park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fourteen environmental organisations have just appealed to the President of the DRC to find an urgent solution to save this World Heritage site.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
The 23 March Movement (M23) has once again been accused of pillaging the wildlife and floral resources of Virunga National Park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fourteen environmental organisations have just appealed to the President of the DRC to find an urgent solution to save this World Heritage site.
In a letter sent to the
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 20 July 2023, fourteen
environmental organisations condemned acts of looting by armed groups in the
Virunga National Park in the east of the country. The 23 March Movement (M23)
is the main armed group singled out by environmental activists. This rebellion
is accused of poaching, charcoal burning, trafficking in wood and charcoal,
trafficking in baby primates and other activities in Africa's oldest nature
reserve, created in 1925 and listed as a world heritage site by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) since 1979.
President Félix Antoine
Tshisekedi Tshilombo is being called on to find an urgent solution to preserve
this site, which is vital for biodiversity. The fourteen organisations are also
calling on the Head of State to include in his diplomatic efforts the need to
protect what remains of the Virunga National Park. They are also calling for a
joint investigation, involving the regional force of the East African Community
(EAC), the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), to ensure that these acts, which
they call environmental crimes and war crimes, are punished.
Dislodging the M23 from
Virunga Park
This is the second time in
the space of six months that the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
has been questioned about the ravages of the M23 in Virunga Park. In an open
letter sent to President Félix Tshisekedi on Sunday 15 January 2023, Gorilla
Ambassador warned of the threats posed by the M23 to animal species in Virunga
Park, following its encampment at Mont Sabinyo in Rutshuru territory in North
Kivu. Alain Mukiranya, the organisation's deputy director, believes that animal
species are threatened by poaching in the Mont Sabinyo region, which is
occupied by the M23. "The cantonment of the rebels at Mont Sabinyo is a
danger for the gorillas, which have long been threatened by war, poaching and
loss of habitat. The presence of these rebels (the M23, editor's note) will
increase the poaching rate because they will be hunting and cutting down trees
to produce charcoal for sale", warns Alain Mukiranya.
The M23 rebel group has
also set up its rear base in the area of the park occupied by the mountain
gorillas, making it impossible to monitor the primates. In a press release
published on 20 December 2022 by the Congolese Institute for Conservation and
Nature (ICCN), which manages the park, the M23 rebels are presented as the main
threat currently facing the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park.
The M23, a predominantly
Tutsi armed group (an ethnic group from neighbouring Rwanda) that was defeated
in 2013, took up arms again in late 2021 and stepped up its offensive in
October 2022, seizing large swathes of territory north of Goma, the capital of
North Kivu in the east of the DRC. The region serves as a rear base for a dozen
other local armed groups, including the Forces démocratiques de libération du
Rwanda (FDLR).
Fanta Mabo
Increasing investment in the clean energy sector is one of the twelve recommendations contained in the Niamey Declaration. The document was adopted at the end of the 9th edition of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (FRADD-9), which was held from 28 February to 3 March 2023 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The central theme of the three-day event was « accelerating inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 ».
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the UN system and other development partners are called upon to remain mobilised behind African states in the pursuit of local resource-based industrialisation, including the promotion of a mineral value chain for lithium-ion batteries in Africa. This is the main recommendation of the Niamey Declaration, adopted on 2 March 2023 in the Nigerian capital, at the end of the ninth African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (FRADD-9).
This recommendation is the second of a total of twelve. Its theme is similar to that addressed by the first recommendation, on transformative initiatives favourable to a green revival of economic growth. On this point, the President of Niger called on the developed countries. « Climate change, coupled with demographic dynamics, has created challenges in many African countries that need to be addressed if Africa is to make progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals. Developed countries must play their part in ensuring that African countries have access to climate finance, particularly with regard to the Sahel Climate Fund, » says Mohamed Bazoum.
The Loss and Damage Fund
In addition to issues related to access to water and sanitation, the preservation of biodiversity and the sharing of scientific knowledge, FRADD-9 participants insisted on the respect of international agreements and the implementation of major resolutions in the fight against climate change. This is the case of the Loss and Damage Fund, adopted at COP27 in Egypt. The Niamey declaration states: « Let the efforts undertaken to create a Loss and Damage Fund bear fruit so that resources can be mobilised to compensate for the increasing losses of infrastructure, ecosystems and livelihoods due to extreme climatic phenomena that are severely affecting the continent ».
The 9th FRADD also calls on the international community to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement and to redouble its efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions so that humanity can continue to live in a stable climate system.
The ninth session of the Forum was held under the theme: « Accelerating Inclusive and Green Recovery from Multiple Crises and the Full and Integrated Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want of the African Union ». This theme is closely linked to the theme of the 2023 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development meeting, namely « Accelerating recovery from the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels ». The meeting is being held from Monday 10 July to Wednesday 19 July 2023 in New York, United States of America.
Garama Saratou Rabiou Inoussa, Niger’s Minister of the Environment, Urban Hygiene and Sustainable Development, in her capacity as Chair of FRADD-9, will present the forum’s recommendations at the upcoming global gatherings on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate. In addition to the July meeting in New York, these include the SDG Summit on 19-20 September 2023, the UN General Assembly’s Week of High-Level Segment, COP28 and global, regional and sub-regional fora on the accelerated implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Boris Ngounou
FRADD-9: increasing investment in clean energy projects
Increasing investment in the clean energy sector is one of the twelve recommendations contained in the Niamey Declaration. The document was adopted at the end of the 9th edition of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (FRADD-9), which was held from 28 February to 3 March 2023 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The central theme of the three-day event was « accelerating inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 ».
« Accélérer la reprise inclusive et verte après des crises multiples et la mise en œuvre intégrale et intégrée du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 et de l’Agenda 2063 : l’Afrique que nous voulons de l’Union africaine ». C’est sous ce thème que s’ouvre ce 28 février 2023 à Niamey au Niger, la neuvième session du Forum régional africain sur les objectifs de développement (FRADD-9). Les ODD 6, 7, 9, 11 et 17 seront particulièrement scrutés. Le point avec Boris Ngounou, envoyé spécial RTS depuis le Niger.
(Audio)FRADD 9 : l’Afrique évalue sa progression vers les ODD
« Accélérer la reprise inclusive et verte après des crises multiples et la mise en œuvre intégrale et intégrée du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 et de l’Agenda 2063 : l’Afrique que nous voulons de l’Union africaine ». C’est sous ce thème que s’ouvre ce 28 février 2023 à Niamey au Niger, la neuvième session du Forum régional africain sur les objectifs de développement (FRADD-9). Les ODD 6, 7, 9, 11 et 17 seront particulièrement scrutés. Le point avec Boris Ngounou, envoyé spécial RTS depuis le Niger.
Le cobalt est un minerais indispensable à la fabrication des batteries et véhicules électriques. La RDC et la Zambie, qui totalisent à elles seules près de 80% des réserves mondiales de cobalt, ont décidé de mettre sur pieds une chaîne de valeur africaine de production des batteries et véhicules électriques. Le partenariat consiste entre autres à tirer profit d’un marché qui pèsera environ 46 milliards de dollars d’ici à 2050. Ce projet était au cœur d’une conférence, tenue le 26 février 2023 à Niamey au Niger, en prélude à la neuvième session du Forum régional africain pour le développement durable (Fradd-9). Plus de détails dans cet élément de Boris Ngounou
(Audio) AFRIQUE : vers la création d’une chaîne de valeur des batteries électriques
Le cobalt est un minerais indispensable à la fabrication des batteries et véhicules électriques. La RDC et la Zambie, qui totalisent à elles seules près de 80% des réserves mondiales de cobalt, ont décidé de mettre sur pieds une chaîne de valeur africaine de production des batteries et véhicules électriques. Le partenariat consiste entre autres à tirer profit d’un marché qui pèsera environ 46 milliards de dollars d’ici à 2050. Ce projet était au cœur d’une conférence, tenue le 26 février 2023 à Niamey au Niger, en prélude à la neuvième session du Forum régional africain pour le développement durable (Fradd-9). Plus de détails dans cet élément de Boris Ngounou