Uvira, South Kivu, March 27 – the SOCEARUCO (Civil Environmental and Agro-Rural Society of Congo) and REMADIE (Network of Magistrates, Lawyers, Judicial Defenders, and Environmental Inspectors) jointly signed a commitment aimed at strengthening the fight against wildlife, floral, hydric, and mining infractions before the courts, tribunals, and public prosecutors.
This initiative aims to involve judicial actors in documenting and prosecuting environmental infractions, with the goal of deterring environmental criminals.
This historic agreement was signed at a ceremony in Uvira, South Kivu, marking a crucial step in the fight against environmental crimes. The two organizations have committed to involving civilian and military jurisdiction actors from South Kivu in this fight, recognizing the importance of raising awareness among all judicial and administrative actors to increase the number of people involved in environmental protection.
According to Josué Aruna, coordinator of SOCEARUCO, the collaboration between the two organizations will be essential to notify REMADIE through a judicial information note in response to alerts from local alert committees. This collaborative approach promises to improve the effectiveness of actions to combat environmental crime.
In addition to the collaboration between SOCEARUCO and REMADIE, this commitment also includes the organization of coaching and clarification workshops on the roles of environmental inspectors, as well as capacity building for judicial defenders, lawyers, and judicial agents in environmental criminal procedure in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This partnership will benefit from the support of various technical and financial partners committed to the conservation of fauna and flora. Indeed, the DRC will not be able to achieve the 30×30 objective if cases of environmental delinquency remain unpunished.
Mr. Aruna emphasized the importance of mobilizing resources from interested partners to support awareness and uphold the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples before judicial authorities. This approach is part of a broader vision of collaboration with other environmental protection structures at the local, provincial, national, regional, and international levels.
The collaboration between SOCEARUCO and REMADIE, supported by committed partners, promises to strengthen the fight against environmental crime while promoting awareness and protection of local communities and indigenous peoples.
by the news team