Environmental Defenders Organizes Seminars for DRC Fisher Communities on Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSFs)

Lake Albert, situated at the center of the central African plateau on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is the northernmost of the Great Rift Valley’s chain of lakes and is divided along its major axis between Uganda and the DRC. Measuring 160 km north to south and 35 km wide, it is the most important part of the ecosystem in the Albertine region and vital for local climate regulation. An estimated 10 million of the region’s people depend on Lake Albert fisheries for their livelihoods. The fishery activities, mostly traditional and artisanal, are particular significant in terms of food availability, as fish is the cheapest form of animal protein for the populations of both countries that share the lake. The lake reduces poverty by providing employment in the form of fishing, fish processing, marketing, boat building, and ancillary activities. Of those involved in fishery activities on Lake Albert, women and youth engage mostly in fish processing and marketing, and most fishing is done by youth.

In terms of biodiversity, Lake Albert provides habitat to vital and highly diversified fauna, with an estimated 24 fish species, and McClanahan and Young (1996) report that the lake has more than 60 endemic Cichlid species. Despite its socioeconomic potential and rich natural heritage, the lake’s Albertine region is under threat from the undesirable consequences of unsustainable natural resource exploitation. The key problems and concerns affecting the sustainable exploitation and management of the lake fishery and water resources in the Lake Albert catchments are largely related to poverty: inadequate policy, laws, and institutions; declining biodiversity and over-fishing; degradation of river banks and lake shores; and worsening water quality, water level fluctuations, and climatic changes. Other concerns include land degradation, deforestation, and poor mining and quarrying; civil wars, population displacement, and conflicts over resource use; poor participation of stakeholders and the public; inadequate generation and dissemination of information; and poor management practices.

Political instability and the presence of armed groups in the subregion of the Ituri Province of Eastern DRC, where Lake Albert is situated, have made the management and regulation of fisheries and related water resources difficult for 30 years. Since 1998, hundreds of thousands have died in this region alone through cycles of conflict, bringing untold suffering. The latest cycle of conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people from their homes in areas of ongoing rebel conflict. Additionally, the conflict has disrupted agricultural production and trade, in the process increasing the population’s vulnerability to hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Matters related to the status and return of refugees remain a source of acute tension in the region, and displacement continues to negatively affect stability and overall prospects for economic development.

Large oil deposits have been discovered at Lake Albert, which is situated in Blocks 1–3 of the DRC concession. These discoveries are now under development, especially in Uganda, and exploration rights have been awarded for the DRC blocks, but some arrangements are under legal dispute, and to date there is no indication of likely production levels due to conflicts. Developing the oil reserves under Lake Albert will require new infrastructure, such as additional wells to draw on subsurface oil and construction of a transmission pipeline. Massive construction could alter waterways and drainage patterns, potentially leading to flooding during rainy seasons, pollution of water sources through waste runoff (including oil leaks and spills), and the spread of diseases, which can destroy agrarian and fishing livelihoods and infringe the right to adequate living conditions.

From April 21 through 30, 2026, Environmental Defenders (ED) conducted public consultation and community workshops and seminars with Lake Albert fishing communities in the Mahagi territory of Ituri Province in the DRC, specifically at the Aruko landing site in Wagungu chiefdom and the Kalingwa and Ndawe landing sites in Mokambu chiefdom. These fishing villages are on the Lendu Plateau, a critical high-ground ecosystem designated as an Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) site and a key biodiversity area (KBA). The plateau is heavily deforested, consisting primarily of grasslands and agricultural land.

Given the situation described above, ED offered these activities to promote awareness and implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF guidelines). The seminars and workshops addressed topics within the guidelines document, complemented by topics related to negotiation, culture, society, economy, and the environment of SSF users. Another focus was the DRC land-use planning law (Law No. 25/045), which fundamentally strengthens community tenure by formally recognizing customary land rights and empowering local indigenous communities to manage their ancestral lands. It mandates community consultation (FPIC) for land decisions and integrates these rights into the national, decentralized land governance framework. The seminars were delivered by experts from civil society organizations in Mahagi, led by teams from ED and Terra Agricultural Cooperative, an organization working directly with over 50,000 peasants, landless farmers, and fish workers across Ituri Province, particularly in Mahagi territory. Also included were local leaders; representatives of fisheries workers, women, and youth; and leaders of the landing sites and fishing villages. The activities reached a total of 301 participants across the three fishing villages between April 21 and 30, 2026, of whom 92 were female participants.

The seminar workshops focused on major strategic issues for natural resources governance in Ituri, namely sustainable fisheries, aiming to ensure that people understand the sustainability of artisanal fisheries. They emphasized food security and the protection of the rights of small-scale fishers on Lake Albert in the face of ongoing security and environmental pressures in the region. The seminars also focused on the aspect of forest governance through a dedicated session on the sensitization on the processes for local community forest concessions (CFCLs), including popularization of the Congolese Forest Code, specifically Articles 22 to 24 (allocation procedure) and Articles 42 to 44 (usage rights and securing customary rights) in the context of fisheries tenureship.

The SSF guidelines are a global policy instrument adopted by FAO members to empower small-scale fishing communities, enhance their contribution to food security and poverty eradication, and promote sustainable natural resource management through a human rights–based approach. The guidelines provide a framework for preventing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is crucial for the survival of local species, and require that women, who dominate fish processing and trade, enjoy equal access to resources and decisions. Moreover, they provide a basis for advocating for participatory management and the demilitarization of commercial activities in favor of regulated military patrols.

These are important issues to ED, which is working to defend fish workers’ rights and protect them and landless farmers against threats, intimidation, and violations of regulatory frameworks, which currently threaten fish workers’ rights to life and livelihoods in the region. Although President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of the DRC has expressed a desire to revitalize the fishing sector (by allocating more than 11% of the budget to agriculture and fisheries in fiscal year 2025), it should be noted that the country’s artisanal fishermen face challenges on the ground that threaten their survival, specifically in Ituri Province and Lake Albert in particular.

On the environmental front, biodiversity is collapsing: The lake has dropped from 54 to only 14 fish species. This situation results from the insecurity caused by militias, recurring arrests by the Ugandan marine forces, and intimidation and harassment of Congolese fishermen by Congolese naval forces deployed on Lake Albert. Additionally, oil projects threaten to suffocate the ecosystem. Beyond ecology, communities denounce governance marked by corruption. The Congolese naval force, instead of offering protection, is regularly accused of extortion and looting, creating a climate of economic terror among fisher communities.

During its seminar and workshop activities, ED obtained multiple insights directly from the participants, who shared responses and feedback with our teams as documented below. These accounts collected on site powerfully reflect the lived experience of the communities bordering Lake Albert, their testimonies depicting a reality marked by a deep sense of injustice but also by resilience.

“To go out on the lake to fish, there is money that fishermen give to the law enforcement elements, but all this does not prevent harassment” (Losa Ukelo, fisher in Kalingwa).

The plea for help is particularly heartbreaking among women, the primary victims of the region’s economic instability:

“I plead for the cessation of these abuses. I ask the Congolese government to think of the riparian population, because these peaceful citizens are harassed on both sides: by Uganda and by the DRC” (Akelo Espérance, resident of Ndawe).

For some, the pressure has been so great that it has broken entire careers, forcing a difficult career change in a now stifled local market:

“In the old days, I was a fisherman. Following the harassment on Lake Albert, I lost everything. Today, I have become a trader in this same fishing camp, but the difficulties faced by the fishermen disrupt all trade at the lakeside. I now find myself unable to sell my products” (Wathum Wams, trader in Ndawe).

Finally, the account of internal displacement shows that the problem is not localized but systemic across the entire coast:

“It is this same case of force majeure that made me flee Kalingwa, but I find myself in exactly the same situation here in Ndawe” (Adegitho, displaced person in Ndawe).

The Fédération des Comités des Pêcheurs du Lac Albert (FECOPELA), a DRC-based organization representing Lake Albert fishermen that focuses on protecting their rights and livelihoods, acts as a civil society voice against environmentally damaging oil and infrastructure projects. FECOPELA and other fish worker leaders document cases in which legal equipment of fish workers on Lake Albert is confiscated to serve as currency for ransoms ranging from $50 to $200. A communiqué dated May 4, 2026, denounces illicit collections imposed on fishers, termed “of the week” or “of the networks.” Communities confirm that the naval force demands weekly taxes ranging from $50 $120 to access the lake, but it is difficult to verify where this money goes after being collected by the armies in cooperation with their local collaborators, who collect the money on their behalf.

According to Uweknyinga Panok Utung’kich of Aruko, who has worked as a fish worker since 2007, the customary fishing has become impossible; owning three châlit nets now costs 300,000 SHS in arbitrary taxes. Jambo Oscar of Aruko and Jakwonga Unega of Kalingwa both regretted that, even when they are within their rights with legal nets, they have no way to contest seizures by armed elements. Maman Aromborac Wiyajik, of Kalingwa landing site, stated that DRC naval force elements seized all her equipment, preventing her from continuing her activity.

The consequences hit women traders hard. During the seminar in Kalingwa, Ung’ierirwoth Françoise told ED that she is in total decline. This situation creates disputes in her home, as her husband suspects her of mismanagement, whereas it is the price of fish that has become exorbitant. She describes miserable nights without hope for development. Similarly, Nyamundu Christine of Aruko, formerly an owner, has become a simple vendor and can no longer afford to send her children to school.

Local authorities and camp leaders, such as Mr. Zacharie Malembe of Aruko, Uwonda Uwachi Jean Baptiste of Kalingwa, and the deputy camp chief of Ndawe, state they have lost trust in traditional institutions. They demand the restitution of lake management to customary authorities and elders as well as the demilitarization of fishing zones and the cessation of Ugandan incursions on the DRC side of Lake Albert. They deplore the fact that, despite the colossal sums collected by the naval force, the fishing villages lack everything, having no latrines, no health centers, no markets, and no roads. Finally, local authorities note that since the naval forces have managed the lake, the environment has degraded, notably through the cutting of trees and vegetation that once covered the beach.

To conclude, the sensitized communities expressed their joy at the ED initiative, which has revived their hope. They have pledged to reorganize to claim their rights to consultation and transparency so as to ensure real sustainability for artisanal fishing in the Albertine region.

ED is an environmental conservation and human rights organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and Indigenous peoples’ rights in the Albertine rift and Congo Basin. We protect and defend the natural environment and the people and species that rely on it. We envision a world where people and species thrive together in safe, healthy, and ecologically balanced environments. Through the livelihood’s security approaches, we empower Indigenous and local communities to protect their land rights and build long-term resilience. Our support includes direct legal aid, land surveying, and mapping to secure land tenure. We also help communities advocate against illegal land sales and forced evictions, ensuring respect for their free, prior, and informed consent and helping them to manage their land and protect their forest, including water sources.