DR Congo: Oil Company Operations Pose Grave Pollution Threat

Click to expand Image Oil well at Perenco’s concession in Democratic Republic of Congo. © 2026 Human Rights Watch Pollution linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s only oil producer poses serious health risks to communities near its operations. Perenco, the oil company, has engaged in gas flaring and waste burning that have contributed to poor air quality and not prevented oil spills from wells and pipelines from leaking into the soil and riverbeds, contributing to health risks for nearby r