March 10, 2026 – Kinshasa – The recognition of ecocide in Congolese legislation was the focus of in-depth discussions during an information workshop held on Tuesday, March 10, in Kinshasa. The initiative, led by the Coalition for the Ecocide Law in the DRC in collaboration with the Congo Basin Conservation Society, brought together legal experts, representatives of environmental organizations, students, and several civil society actors around a central question: how to strengthen legal protection for the environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the center of the discussions was a draft law submitted to the Senate on December 15, 2025, by Senator Cedric Ngindu Biduaya. The text proposes introducing ecocide as an autonomous criminal offense in Congolese legislation through an amendment to Law No. 15/022 of December 31, 2015, relating to the Penal Code. For its proponents, the objective is to equip the country with a legal instrument capable of more effectively sanctioning serious and lasting damage to ecosystems.
The proposal defines ecocide as illegal acts, or acts committed without justification, carried out with the knowledge that they may cause severe, widespread, or long-term damage to the environment. Such a classification would make it possible to establish the criminal liability of those responsible for major environmental destruction, whether they are economic operators, political leaders, or any other actors involved in activities likely to degrade natural resources.
During the workshop, Senator Cedric Ngindu recalled that the DRC is often presented as a “solution country” for the planet because of the vastness of its tropical forests, the exceptional richness of its biodiversity, and the importance of its strategic resources for the global ecological transition. However, he noted that this wealth also attracts strong pressures linked to illegal resource exploitation and conflicts, sometimes turning certain territories into areas where the environment is severely threatened.
For the legal experts present, introducing ecocide into criminal law is also intended to fill a gap in the current legal framework. Me Alex Kolomwani, the DRC representative of Stop Ecocide International, believes that existing legislation does not always make it possible to effectively prosecute those responsible for large-scale environmental damage. According to him, recognizing this offense would provide a clearer framework for identifying those responsible, establishing their criminal liability, and strengthening sanctions against serious environmental harm.
The debate resonates particularly strongly in a country where certain regions—especially in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo—remain marked by conflicts linked to the exploitation of natural resources. These situations often have direct consequences on ecosystems: destruction of natural habitats, water pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. Local communities, whose livelihoods largely depend on natural resources, are generally the first to suffer from these environmental degradations.
Promoters of the bill believe that criminalizing ecocide could help reduce impunity in such contexts by making it possible to prosecute those responsible for serious environmental harm, whether these acts occur in times of peace or in situations of armed conflict.
The initiative is also part of a growing international movement to recognize ecocide as a global crime. The proposed definition draws in particular on the work of an international panel of experts co-chaired by Philippe Sands and Dior Fall Sow, who in 2021 developed a legal proposal aimed at advancing international law. It also aligns with initiatives by several states—including Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa—which are advocating for the inclusion of ecocide in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court alongside the most serious crimes recognized by international justice.
Beyond the parliamentary process, organizations involved in the coalition emphasize the decisive role of civil society in this effort. Environmental actors are encouraged to contribute to the discussions, raise awareness within communities, and ensure citizen oversight so that the law—if adopted—can be effectively implemented. The discussions held in Kinshasa therefore provided an opportunity to gather opinions and contributions intended to enrich the draft law before it is examined by parliamentarians. For participants, this initiative could represent an important step in the evolution of environmental law in the Democratic Republic of Congo, by introducing for the first time into the Penal Code an offense specifically dedicated to the large-scale destruction of the environment.
By Asani Musungayi