London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Kickback cash deal: ‘Lawless logging’ in DRC raises concerns over $500m forests deal signed by Boris Johnson

Kickback cash deal: ‘Lawless logging’ in DRC raises concerns over $500m forests deal signed by Boris Johnson

Critics say cash from UK, Norway, France and Germany could be wasted as damning report reveals illegalities, corruption and environmental crimes
Environmental groups have raised concerns about a $500m (£380m) forest protection deal signed by Boris Johnson at Cop26, after a damning report into the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s “lawless” logging sector.

Johnson signed the letter of intent on behalf of the Central African Forest Initiative (Cafi) for a 10-year agreement which includes objectives to protect high-value forests and peatlands. Of the £200m committed to protecting the Congo basin by the UK at Cop26, £32m was given to Cafi from the aid budget.

At the beginning of April, the DRC government released a long-awaited audit of the country’s logging industry. It found that six successive ministers had illegally allocated at least 18 logging concessions, breaking a near 20-year moratorium on new industrial felling in the world’s second largest rainforest.

More than $3m in royalties has not been paid to the government by operators due to a “chaotic situation”, according to the audit, which marks the first step of the deal between the DRC and 12 donors signed on the first day of Cop26 in Glasgow to unlock $500m to protect the vast ecosystem.

Environmental groups have said taxpayer money from the UK, Norway, France and Germany could go to waste if no action is taken on the illegal concessions, with the moratorium on industrial logging due to be lifted at the end of this year.

The DRC environment ministry issued a review of all forest concession contracts after the audit but environmental groups are demanding suspensions and prosecutions of violations.

Known as the lungs of Africa, the Congo basin rainforest is home to endangered forest elephants and gorillas and is an enormous carbon store that sustains rainfall as far away as Egypt and is home to about 80 million people. It absorbs about 4% of the world’s annual carbon emissions.

Irene Wabiwa Betoko, Congo basin forest lead for Greenpeace, said: “The audit reveals a circus of illegalities, corruption and crimes against the environment. Greenpeace Africa demands a legal investigation of all officials responsible for plundering the rainforest, and, where necessary, the lifting of their parliamentary immunity.”

Despite the ban on new industrial logging, the DRC has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, losing 490,000 hectares (1.2m acres) of primary rainforest in 2020, according to Global Forest Watch.

Lord Goldsmith, minister for the international environment, visited the region last month after the DRC failed to meet the first step of the Cop26 agreement and publish the audit at the start of January.

In a statement, he said his trip was a great opportunity to speak to leaders in one of the most important and biodiversity rich areas of Earth. “The leadership of Congo basin countries at Cop26 was hugely impactful, where big promises were made both by donor countries and Congo basin countries. I am determined that those promises are kept,” he said.

Cafi, the coalition of donor countries that made the $500m deal with the DRC, welcomed the release of the audit but said no money had been released yet. In a statement to the Guardian, it commended the publication of the report by the DRC Inspection générale des finances on logging concessions and said it would continue to work in collaboration with the DRC government on strengthening forest governance.

“Cafi remains committed to supporting the DRC to help ensure that the objectives and commitments outlined in the 2021-2031 letter of intent are met,” it said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×