Republic of Congo - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

TRAGEDY: 37 die in stampede at Republic of Congo stadium

At least 37 people were killed and dozens injured at a stadium in the Republic of Congo's capital Brazzaville overnight, the government said on Tuesday, with local media reporting a stampede during an army recruitment drive. The government said the "tragedy" occurred on Monday night at the Ornano Stadium, where army recruitment operations were launched on November 14. It did not directly refer to a stampede but said the causes of the incident were being investigated. The recruitment process has been suspended and a day of mourning declared to pay tribute to 31 recovered bodies and over 140 injured, it…

Oct

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

‘Gorilla Friendly’ award highlights the role of wildlife partnerships

ENVIRONMENT

NOUABALÉ-NDOKI National Park in the far north of the Republic of Congo has become the world's first certified gorilla-friendly park, according to a joint statement by two international wildlife organisations. According to the organisations, the award to the park, which lies at the heart of the Congo Basin, is a testament to the success of collaborations between the government and the private sector in wildlife conservation. This milestone was announced on September 28 by The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network and the Wildlife Conservation Society, who hailed it as a "first-of-its-kind globally." “It proves that the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park's management follows…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Republic of Congo rejects SocGen’s sale of subsidiary to Vista Group

BUSINESS

THE government of the Republic of Congo has said it will not recognise Societe Generale's sale of its country subsidiary to Vista Group because the bank did not give it a right of first refusal. Congo's finance ministry said in a statement dated June 12 that it was surprised by the announcement by SocGen that it had sold some of its subsidiaries in Africa including in the Republic of Congo. SocGen said on June 8 that it had reached an agreement to sell its subsidiaries in Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea to Vista Group for an undisclosed amount. The bank owned 93.5% of Societe…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Ship seized by pirates seen 540 miles west from Gulf of Guinea attack point

NEWS

A Danish-owned vessel that was boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday was spotted about 540 miles further offshore, according to a maritime cooperation centre monitoring security in the area. The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer was boarded by five armed people some 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire. All 16 crew sought refuge in a safe room aboard, according to the cooperation centre. Danish marine fuels supplier Monjasa, the owner of Monjasa Reformer, said on Tuesday all communications channels with the vessel were down. The company was unable to provide further detail…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Central African states seek to make forests work for people and planet

ENVIRONMENT

MEGAN ROWLING COUNTRIES home to the Congo Basin rainforest, including Gabon and the Republic of Congo, are working on ways to harness their majestic trees to benefit their people while maintaining climate protection and other natural services the forests provide. This week, the Republic of Congo - also known as Congo-Brazzaville - officially published a new law, approved by the president in July, to ensure more sustainable management of the country's vast forests. Gabon, meanwhile, hopes to have a new forest law in place by next summer, marrying efforts to safeguard the climate and biodiversity with creating jobs in forestry,…