COP30 in Belém: Pascal Mirindi amplifies the voice of Congo’s threatened territories
Despite administrative hurdles and the turmoil affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congolese activist Pascal Mirindi has managed to reach COP30 as an observer. A move he describes as strategic: “I am not here as a tourist,” he insists. “I am here to represent our struggles, our pain and our hopes.”
Campaign Coordinator for Notre Terre Sans Pétrole and an engaged member of Extinction Rebellion and several human rights organizations, Mirindi carries a clear and uncompromising message to Belém: Congolese communities firmly reject the transformation of their lands into oil and gas blocks. This extractivist model, he warns, threatens both the ecosystems of the Congo Basin and the safety of local populations.
According to him, COP30 must not become a showcase for the “false climate solutions” often imposed on countries of the Global South dubious carbon offset schemes, exclusionary conservation, or opaque mega-energy projects.
“African youth is demanding a just transition, grounded in sovereignty, social justice and the protection of our territories,” Mirindi stresses.
On 12 November, he is participating in Narratives from the Territories Day at Casa Maraká Nossa Aldeia, a space dedicated to Indigenous, Afro-descendant and community narratives. The event highlights art, film and digital storytelling as tools of resistance, memory and mobilization. For Mirindi, this forum is an opportunity to build global alliances and expose the often-silenced realities of eastern DRC: resource-driven conflicts, population displacements and increasing pressures on forests.
“We want our stories to circulate at COP, not just figures and promises,” he says. “The world must understand that Africa is not merely a carbon reservoir. It is a living, inhabited land that demands respect and justice.”
As negotiations intensify in Belém, the presence of figures like Pascal Mirindi is a strong reminder that the climate crisis is also a territorial, cultural and political struggle and that the voice of Congo’s communities remains essential in the global equation.
