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On the shores of Lake Albert in Ituri, northeastern DRC, thousands of fishermen eke out a living catching and selling fish. In 2006, vast oil deposits were discovered in the lake, which straddles the border between Uganda and DRC. Since then, several companies, including a South African consortium, Divine Inspiration, and the UK's Tullow Oil, have sought contracts with the DRC government to extract the oil. In 2010, the Congolese government awarded contracts to Caprikat and Foxwhelp, registered in the British Virgin Islands, but drilling has yet to begin.
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The thousands of fishermen who depend on the lake for their survival say they know very little about the government's plans for the area and they are afraid of the environmental effects of oil extraction. "The fishermen here are afraid that the pipe will break and the oil will get into the water," says Emile Yokitani Ndorolire, president of the Local Committee, which is following the developments. "The community here does not even have a copy of the contract signed by the government."
"The petrol, when it starts, what will happen? Will we have to leave? Will we be unemployed? Many people here have not studied. Will they get a job?" asks fisherman Angulu Ang'eya Apoliner.
While the communities wait to find out what will happen once drilling begins, the daily struggle to earn a living from the lake must continue.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
