They are smuggled out from all corners of the Republic of the Congo, completely illegally: from the Sangha department in the north, heading toward neighboring Cameroon and the port of Kribi. They are loaded onto other boats in Pointe-Noire, the economic capital. They even cross the Congo River into the Congo, where their trade is still permitted—a form of money laundering.
The logs are virtually unprocessed tree trunks, stripped of only their branches. They are used to make furniture, beams, planks, and plywood. Two years ago, Congolese authorities adopted a decree banning their export, more than 20 years after this provision was introduced into the national forestry code. But on the ground, trafficking is widespread and operates with little discretion.
Yet, according to Congolese law, every logging company must operate a sawmill alongside the concessions granted by the state and process the logs on-site to provide jobs for local communities and to develop the country. A few Congolese companies have complied with the law. But other major operators—including the Chinese firm SEFYD—continue to ship logs out of the country.
The Ministry of Forestry refers to extensions granted to certain companies, without providing further details. Anonymous internal sources point to corruption that encourages Congolese officials to turn a blind eye to this trafficking; and it contributes to further weakening the Congo Basin forest, the world’s second-largest tropical forest in terms of area, after the Amazon Basin.
It also violates the commitments made by the authorities in Brazzaville, alongside those of its neighbors.
This reporting project will demonstrate the gap between regulations and reality on the ground in Congo, document the trafficking and corruption, and confront the various authorities responsible for it.
