DRC National Park Threatened by Private Interests and Pollution
Date Published: 11 November 2025
The press release below is from the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), published 11/11/25.
A joint investigation led by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), and published today by The Guardian, Médiapart and Actualité.CD, reveals the large-scale predation of the Mangrove Marine Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Based on information provided by the former Director of the park, Kim Rebholz, the investigation exposes the establishment of an industrial-scale palm oil plantation within protected zones, the use of ports for illicit logging and oil trafficking operations, and oil spills that have severely damaged the already fragile ecosystem. As early as 2017, PPLAAF's Banana Port Papers investigation warned about threats posed to the park.
"I accepted this position in the hope of bringing about meaningful change. Despite the difficulties I faced and the reprisals my family and I suffered, I do not regret speaking out. My story reveals a deeply rooted culture of predation, reaching to the highest levels of the Congolese state," whistleblower Kim Rebholz told PPLAAF. "I hope that my testimony will shed light on these abuses and help to protect the Mangrove Marine Park and all of the so-called ‘protected’ areas of the DRC for future generations. These areas are an irreplaceable heritage of the Congolese people and of humanity as a whole, which is today, unfortunately, under serious threat."
Since 2024, PPLAAF has been helping Rebholz to testify safely about the serious irregularities he witnessed at the park, while actively supporting his pursuit of justice in the DRC.
A vital ecosystem under threat
When Kim Rebholz, a French-Swiss national, was appointed by the DRC government as Director of Mangrove Marine Park in 2022, he had already studied satellite images of the area. However, his on-site observations revealed that the damage was even more severe than he thought.
As vital ecosystems, mangrove forests play a crucial role in combating climate change by capturing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide. The Mangrove Marine Park in the DRC is safeguarded by ministerial decree and strict regulations. Still, as the new investigation reveals, mangroves are being sacrificed on the altar of private interests.
"The Congolese government must act decisively to guarantee the effective protection of this park that is already safeguarded by national law and international conventions,” said Jimmy Kandé, PPLAAF's Executive Director. "Protecting parks that play a critical role in climate regulation should be at the heart of COP30."
Spoliation allegedly driven by former President’s private interests
One of the investigation's first alarming discoveries was an industrial-sized palm oil plantation owned by Grands Élevages du Bas-Congo (GEL). PPLAAF’s Congo Hold-Up investigation links GEL to former President Kabila and his family. Situated within a protected area, the plantation is accelerating the gradual disappearance of a vital habitat for large mammals.
Rebholz also uncovered an illegal port operated by Congo Dihao, a Chinese group which was allegedly previously linked to Maniema Union and General Amisi, a close associate of Kabila and under international sanctions for violent repression and human rights abuses. According to a 2023 Global Witness report, the port is used for the illegal export of logs to China, contributing to further habitat destruction and raising serious questions about corruption and regulatory oversight.
Together, these discoveries paint a stark picture: despite formal protections, the park is under relentless pressure from large-scale industrial interests, highlighting the gap between policy and reality.
Illicit traffic and oil spill ravaging Mangrove Marin Park
Mangrove Marine Park has become a hotspot for a range of illicit and environmentally destructive activities, further jeopardising an ecosystem already under immense stress.
Rebholz came across another illegal port reportedly serving as a hub for oil smuggling from a refinery on Angola’s northern coast that runs through the protected park and extends towards Kinshasa. In April 2023, oil that had been stored there carelessly ignited and caused a devastating explosion that destroyed over three hectares of mangrove habitat.
The situation is compounded by the actions of Perenco, a French-British oil company already facing trial in France for environmental violations. The investigation indicates that Perenco has engaged in high-risk operations, including the illegal dumping of oil into the sea, which further threatens marine life and local livelihoods, as well as the installation of ground flares dangerously close to residential areas and farmlands.
In 2017, PPLAAF's Banana Port Papers investigation already highlighted threats the park was facing. It revealed secret negotiations between the government of the DRC and the global port operator Dubai Port World (DPW) to construct the country’s largest deep-water port located within the park. The deal, worth millions, was marred by allegations of corruption, raising serious questions about governance and environmental protection. In August 2024, British International Investment (BII) announced it would invest up to USD 35 million in the first phase of the DRC’s USD 1.2 billion new container port, putting the park's protection back in the spotlight.
Paying the price of exposing the truth
After witnessing these irregularities, Rebholz decided to blow the whistle and write to his superiors, demanding that a commission of inquiry be established to investigate. However, despite his determination to improve things, the whistleblower and his family fell victim to a horrific attack.
Seven hooded men stormed into their home in the middle of the night, held him at gunpoint, and assaulted his wife. Rebholz filed a complaint at the military prosecutor's office. After two years with no investigation, he renewed his complaint earlier this year. According to his Congolese lawyer, Venance Kalenga, his complaint inexplicably vanished from the prosecutor's office records, and it was allegedly decided that he should be arrested. Rebholz and his family had fortunately fled the country by then, but he continued his attempts to seek accountability by writing to the DRC's environment minister, copying President Tshisekedi.
Rebholz stands as yet another example of the immense risks whistleblowers take to expose corruption, environmental destruction, and abuse of power, often at great personal cost. It is unacceptable that those who act in the public interest continue to face intimidation, retaliation, and injustice. The DRC must urgently adopt a law that protects whistleblowers and ensure that Rebholz receives unwavering support in his legal proceedings, as well as fair and timely justice for the harm he and his family have endured.
About PPLAAF
The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) is a non-governmental organisation established in 2017 to protect whistleblowers, investigate their revelations, advocate on their behalf, and undertake strategic legal actions when their revelations concern the public interest of African citizens.
Read more.