In North Kivu, a hearing shed light on the case of two eco-guards engaged in a fierce battle against the encroachment of Virunga National Park, its deforestation, and their fight against oil exploitation in the park.
The May 23, 2024, hearing in the city of Goma concerned the prosecution of these eco-guards and is related to the preservation of Virunga Park and their actions to stop the encroachment and deforestation of Virunga National Park towards Nzulo, where the involvement of several politicians, judicial actors, intelligence services, and military personnel is alleged.
They have been charged with serious offenses, including murder, looting, theft, and other charges that could lead to the death penalty. The defendants, Mugaruka Katembo Rodrigue, conservator and deputy director of the Park, responsible for conservation and law enforcement activities, and his teammate Bahati Lukoo Emmanuel, formerly chief of the southern sector of Virunga Park and currently deputy director of Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, are both accused of murder, arson, looting, and malicious destruction, according to notifications from the North Kivu Military Court. The two eco-guards, along with their director of Virunga National Park, Emmanuel Demeraude, have been involved on multiple occasions in advocating for the protection of this heritage and have been arrested.
Voices are rising to challenge the validity of these accusations, claiming they are fabricated, involving two alleged offenses: the theft and looting of over 700 bags of cement, whose destination remains unclear, as no hardware store is listed in Nzulo, the presumed location in the indictment. Additionally, the quantities of cement and sheets involved raise questions about the logistics of transporting these goods. On the victims’ side, the eco-guards simply plead for respect for park law, noting that the alleged destroyed houses were either inside Virunga Park or outside. These elements raise suspicion of possible complicity by certain authorities and military personnel, especially since Mr. Lukoo had already reported an assassination attempt against him before his judicial arrest.
In this tense context, support is being expressed for the eco-guards. Through a program developed by the Congolese Association for Ecology and Human Rights (ACEDH) and its partners, including Global Climate Legal Defense (CLIDEF), who have a program supporting climate defenders including the two eco-guards, the five other aforementioned eco-guards, and many other climate defenders in the DRC. Together with the Virunga law firm, they provide support to these climate defenders, who are victims of singular legal proceedings discouraging their daily commitment to environmental protection, fighting deforestation, and preserving protected areas from oil and mining exploitation.
The hearing has been adjourned to June 5, 2024, for the continuation of the investigation into the case. But in the meantime, ACEDH calls on all stakeholders and authorities at all levels to closely monitor these cases of criminalization, increasingly prevalent in the DRC against climate defenders. Without them, a resilient world in the face of climate emergencies remains hypothetical, if not impossible.
By Franck Zongwe Lukama