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Seismic tests in Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Virunga National Park, Africa's oldest wildlife reserve which is famed for its mountain gorillas, have confirmed the presence of oil, the Congolese government said Friday.
Tests carried out by British oil company Soco had returned "positive" on the presence of oil deposits, Minister of Hydrocarbons Aime Ngoy Mukena told AFP by telephone.
On the question of "whether there is an oil field" underneath the park, the study answered "yes", he said, without giving further details.
The announcement was likely to reignite a heated debate within DRC over the merits of exploring for oil in the vast park, which covers some 7,800 square kilometres (3,010 square miles) of lush forest, glaciated peaks and savannah in the restive eastern province of North Kivu.
The UNESCO world heritage site reopened to tourists last year after being closed for two years because of militia violence in the region. UNESCO has warned several times that any exploration for oil in the park would be "incompatible" with its heritage status.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 08 2015, @11:31AM
The fate of our habitable planet is more important than some short-term gains for people in some poor countries, yes. You don't think in the long-term, and that is a significant failing.
And maybe even hypocritical considering how the west explores and exploits.
Have you considered that "the west" is not a hivemind? I am not "the west" and disagree with many things governments in the west do, so my level of hypocrisy here is nil.