Conserv Congo

The interim chief of the Kayumba chieftaincy, Malemba Nkulu territory, was arrested on Sunday, May 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM, marking an important milestone in the fight against armed networks targeting national parks. He is accused of organizing attacks, acting as a liaison between field operatives and hidden rebel groups, and coordinating criminal activities in the region.
These arrests follow several serious incidents. At Upemba National Park (Lushinga area), armed groups attacked the park, killing, torturing, and kidnapping individuals, while stealing equipment including computers and phones. These attacks threatened park operations, local communities, and protected wildlife. In the Okapi Wildlife Reserve at Epulu, similar incursions endangered both wildlife and surrounding communities, highlighting the vulnerability of protected areas to armed groups.
Local communities played a critical role in reporting these individuals, allowing authorities to locate and arrest the perpetrators. However, Richard Ilunga, interim chief of the Kasenga Mondwe group in Kayumba, remains at large. He is considered the main link between the Upemba attackers and a hidden rebel cell, distributing fetishes and coordinating attacks, boasting of his immunity.
This arrest represents a major milestone and strong signal, but it is urgent to continue identifying and neutralizing the remaining threats. Community vigilance is essential to protect protected areas and support the work of security forces. Any information can be shared via WhatsApp: +243978169293

From Kivu to Kinshasa: Building the Green Belt, One
Community at a Time

At Conserv Congo, we believe that the future of conservation in the DRC will not be decided in boardrooms- but in villages, forests, and communities across the country.
Through our Green Network Program, we are actively connecting and empowering local organizations across all 26 provinces- creating a living, breathing ecosystem of grassroots actors committed to protecting our natural heritage.
From North & South Kivu, through the heart of the Congo Basin, all the way to Kinshasa, a new vision is taking shape:
A Green Belt of action, resilience, and local leadership.

🌱 This is not just conservation.
🌱 This is coordination.
🌱 This is ownership.

By strengthening community voices, supporting local initiatives, and aligning efforts across regions, we are turning fragmented actions into a unified national force.
Because the truth is simple:
Africa’s conservation will be saved by Africans- and it starts from the ground up.

Kinshasa: Major Breakthrough as Lion Skin Trafficking Network Dismantled

In a coordinated operation conducted this evening in Kinshasa, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), working alongside the Matete Judicial Police and supported technically and financially by Conserv Congo, successfully arrested three suspects involved in the illegal sale of a lion skin.

The suspects were apprehended in flagrante delicto during a controlled operation following weeks of intelligence-led investigation.
This intervention is directly linked to a previous seizure of a lion skin less than a month ago. Through sustained investigative efforts, authorities were able to trace additional actors within the same criminal network, leading to today’s arrests.

The operation involved undercover infiltration, allowing investigators to gain the trust of traffickers, confirm the availability of the wildlife product, and coordinate a secure arrest at the point of transaction.
The lion, a protected species under Congolese law and international conventions such as CITES, continues to be targeted by organized criminal networks driven by illicit profit.
This case once again highlights:
The growing sophistication of wildlife trafficking networks.

The importance of intelligence-led enforcement
The effectiveness of collaboration between law enforcement and specialized conservation actors
Authorities reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that all individuals involved in wildlife crime are identified, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Investigations are ongoing to identify additional members of the network and possible links to other wildlife trafficking activities.
Wildlife crime is organized crime- and it will be treated as such

So let me get this straight.

We’re talking about food security…
but instead of helping communities grow the food they actually eat, we encourage them to plant coffee and cacao.

Brilliant.

Because obviously, when you’re hungry, the first thing you want is a sack of coffee beans.

And when the crops are sold and people are paid, they quickly discover something interesting:

money is important…
but it’s not edible.

So what happens next?

They go back to what feeds them - including bushmeat - often at an even larger scale, because now they’ve been pushed deeper into a cash economy they can’t sustain.

But hey, the export numbers look good.

This model works perfectly…
if your goal is cheap labor producing luxury goods for people thousands of miles away.

Just don’t call it food security.

Because there is nothing secure about a system where the people growing the crops still can’t feed themselves

Chimpanzee trafficking network dismantled in Kisangani

On April 7, 2026, a joint operation led by ICCN, the Congolese National Police, and the Tshopo Prosecutor’s Office- based on intelligence from Conserv Congo- resulted in the arrest of two senior public officials involved in chimpanzee trafficking.
The suspects, both senior officers from two different ministries, hold positions that require frequent travel through forested regions. This access enabled their direct involvement in the illicit trade of protected species.
They were sourcing animals from poaching networks in Bafwasende and Ituri, before transporting and reselling them in Kisangani and Kinshasa.
A baby chimpanzee, transported illegally in a backpack, was found alive and has now been placed under protection.
These individuals are considered high-level traffickers, fully aware of the illegality of their actions, yet choosing to engage in such activities driven by greed and a lack of ethics.
Investigations are ongoing to identify accomplices and dismantle the network.
The fight against wildlife trafficking continues. Protecting biodiversity is a shared responsibility.

MAJOR WIN FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Three suspected wildlife traffickers arrested in Kinshasa with a lion skin—an animal fully protected under DRC law.

This operation, led by ICCN authorities and the Matete Tribunal Prosecutor's Office with judicial police, was made possible by intelligence from Conserv Congo. The arrest marks the culmination of investigations dating back to 2024, exposing a structured trafficking network spanning Bukavu → Kampala → Kinshasa.

🔍 Key details:

• Skin originated in Angola, transited through Lufu border (Kongo Central)
• Suspected network leader: West African national based in Kinshasa
• Evidence secured, suspects in judicial custody
This is what collaboration looks like. Local intelligence + institutional enforcement = accountability.

📍 Kinshasa & Goma, DRC

ALL TO ACTION – Conserv Congo & UALCN:

Acting Locally, Impacting Globally!

We are the Union of Indigenous People of LOILE for Nature Conservation (UALCN), a grassroots organization operating in Tshuapa Province, Ikela Territory, LOILE Sector, Democratic Republic of Congo.
As a local partner of Conserv Congo, we work hand-in-hand with communities on the frontlines of conservation. While Conserv Congo provides strategic support, capacity building, and connects us to international networks, we deliver the on-the-ground action that makes real change happen.

OUR SHARED MISSION:

Protect biodiversity while empowering communities to become stewards of their own environment.

WHAT WE'RE DOING IN 2026:

This year, we are accompanying 6 farmer cooperatives cultivating rice, maize, and cassava. These farmers are the backbone of our local economy—and the future of conservation in our region.

THE CHALLENGE WE FACE:

After extensive consultations with these farming groups, we identified a critical barrier: lack of basic agricultural tools for plowing, planting, and harvesting their fields. Without proper equipment, their productivity suffers and pressure on wildlife increases.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Our goal is to divert communities away from unsustainable hunting and transform them into active protectors of biodiversity. When farmers thrive through sustainable agriculture, forests and wildlife thrive too.

THE POWER OF GRASSROOTS PARTNERSHIP:

Conserv Congo strengthens our voice. We strengthen their impact. Together, we bridge the gap between international conservation goals and local realities. This is how local action creates global impact.

WE URGENTLY NEED:

Agricultural tools and equipment for 6 farmer cooperatives.

TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Support this initiative. Equip our farmers. Protect our forests. Empower our communities.
Every hoe, every machete, every plow brings us closer to a future where people and nature coexist.

Ce 20 mars 2026 à Goma, une rencontre stratégique s’est tenue entre Ashoka Africa et Conserv Congo, marquant une avancée importante vers un partenariat à fort impact.
Au cours des échanges, Ashoka a salué l’expertise terrain de Conserv Congo dans la lutte contre le trafic d’espèces sauvages et les enquêtes criminelles liées à la faune. Les deux organisations ont également confirmé des progrès significatifs dans le processus d’intégration de Conserv Congo au sein du réseau Ashoka.
Cette rencontre a permis d’aligner une vision commune : combiner innovation sociale, engagement communautaire et application stricte de la loi pour renforcer la protection de la biodiversité en RDC

Aujourd’hui, Journée internationale des forêts.
Pour nous à Conserv Congo Youth, ce n’est pas juste une date. C’est un rappel de ce qu’on a devant nous comme responsabilité.
Les forêts du Congo, on les connaît. On sait leur valeur. Mais on voit aussi les menaces, la pression, et parfois le manque d’action.
En tant que jeunes, on ne veut pas rester spectateurs. On s’organise, on s’engage, on apprend et on agit, même avec peu de moyens.
Ce n’est pas parfait, mais c’est réel.
Protéger les forêts, ce n’est pas pour plus t**d. C’est maintenant.

Conserv Congo Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

I hope that now that non-Congolese say it , it shall resonate near and far in the ears of those that care enough about the well being of this planet!

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The World’s most important forest gets the least money. Here’s why that should alarm you. This is the first in a two-part opinion series examining why the Congo Basin receives far less forest finance than other tropical regions.  The Congo Basin...