Human Rights Watch says Perenco oil pollution threatens communities in DR Congo

Human Rights Watch said pollution linked to Perenco’s oil operations in western Democratic Republic of Congo posed serious health risks to nearby communities, allegations the company denied.

Perenco is the only oil producer operating in DR Congo and runs several sites along the country’s Atlantic coast in Kongo Central province.

In a report released on Monday, Human Rights Watch said the company carried out gas flaring at five locations close to residential areas. Gas flaring involves burning natural gas released during oil production.

The rights group said gas flaring and waste burning had worsened air quality across the concession and exposed residents to potential health risks.

Residents reported symptoms including chest pain and nausea, which they associated with smoke from a waste treatment facility about two kilometres from a village, according to the report.

Human Rights Watch also accused Perenco of failing to prevent oil from wells and pipelines leaking into soil and riverbeds.

The organisation said its findings were based on a site visit, interviews with local residents and independent studies from 2013 and 2025 that documented environmental contamination linked to oil operations in the area.

Perenco told Human Rights Watch that its activities did not cause pollution and said scientific studies conducted at the sites were methodologically inadequate.

The company also said it had stopped gas flaring at 220 locations within its concession.

The Congolese government commissioned an environmental audit of Perenco’s operations in late 2024, but no publication date has been announced.

Human Rights Watch called for the immediate release of all environmental monitoring data.