ACTION • Protesting Virunga's Exploitation

On March 20, 2025, XR Rutshuru, a non-violent direct action youth movement from North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized a peaceful march in Kinshasa to protest the government’s decision to auction off 27 oil and three gas blocks in one of the world’s last intact forests—Virunga National Park and its vital peatlands.

The Auction

Just months after the UN Climate Conference COP26 and the signing of a $500 million agreement to protect Congo’s rainforest, the DRC government announced plans to auction 27 oil blocks and three gas blocks. These extraction sites encroach on Virunga National Park, a biodiversity hotspot home to countless plant and animal species, as well as local communities and Indigenous peoples. This decision poses a devastating threat to local communities, biodiversity, and the global climate, as three of these blocks overlap one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.

The Action

In response, XR Rutshuru started to build awareness and mobilize local communities and Indigenous peoples living around Virunga National Park – people whose lives and livelihoods depend on these threatened ecosystems. As part of this effort, they organized a peaceful march in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, demanding the cancellation of the oil and gas tenders, accountability from major polluters for the loss and damage caused by their industries, and increased investment in renewable energy.

During the demonstration, activists held signs with resonant messages: Climate Justice Now! Free Congo! Fossil-Free Virunga!

The Action Fund is proud to have supported this movement and remains committed to the fight for climate justice.

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