Sodefor (Société de Développement Forestier, or Forest Development Corporation) is a subsidiary of Nordsudtimber of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

that undertakes logging operations in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. There has been controversy about the impact of the company on the environment and the local communities,

Assets and operations

Sodefor was founded in 1994 and acquired assets in Bandundu formerly owned by Forescom, a nationalized company that was suspended in 1990. These included a sawmill and plywood factory in Nioki and a forestry concession area of more than . Due to the First Congo War (1996-7) and Second Congo War (1998-2003), operations were initially very limited, with the Nioki plant closed completely in 1998/1999. Since 2004 the company has been undertaking a major expansion program. The main concession areas are to the north and south of

Lake Mai-Ndombe Lake Mai-Ndombe (french: Lac Mai-Ndombe) is a large freshwater lake in Mai-Ndombe province in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake is within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe area, the largest Wetland of International Importance recognize ...

and on both sides of the

Lukenie River The Lukenie River is a river in the central Congo basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). River barges from Kinshasa journey up the Congo, Kwah ( Kasai), and Fimi Rivers to the Lukenie as far as the landing at Kole, a journey of 6 ...

, centered on

Oshwe Oshwe is a community in Mai-Ndombe province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the headquarters of Oshwe territory. The town lies on the Lukenie River. The estimated population as of 2012 was 22,576. The town is served by Oshwe Airpo ...

. In October 2008 the Environment Minister, José Endundu, said the DRC would probably cancel about 2/3 of its logging contracts under an anti-corruption program sponsored by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

. Concession areas would shrink from 22 million hectares to 7 million hectares. This would affect Sodecom and two other foreign-owned companies.

Controversy

In February 2010 twenty-seven people of the Bokongo community in

Oshwe Territory Oshwe is a community in Mai-Ndombe province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the headquarters of Oshwe territory. The town lies on the Lukenie River. The estimated population as of 2012 was 22,576. The town is served by Oshwe Airpo ...

led by Deputy Bosama Henri were arrested and charged for attacking the company and paralyzing its activities. They claimed that the company had moved the boundaries and had never paid the customary dues to the local people. In September 2010 hundreds of people in

, a community in the Mai-Ndombe District of

Bandundu Province Bandundu is one of eleven former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It bordered the provinces of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo to the west, Équateur to the north, and Kasai-Occidental to the east. The provincial capital is also ca ...

, demonstrated against SODEFOR. They were demanding a halt to industrial logging in the region, which degrades the rainforest on which the community depends without bringing benefits to the impoverished community. In February 2011 the people of Batito-sud in Oshwe territory addressed a memo to the Minister of the Environment asking for an investigation into the company's finances. They claimed Sodefor had done nothing to develop the community. Roads had not been maintained and no longer existed. They asked for compensation of $1.5 million for abusive forest exploitation in the Isiko location in 2004.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite web , url = http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/Press-Centre-Hub/Press-releases/Greenpeace-witnesses-DRCs-Oshwe-Communities-Protest-Against-Logging-Company/ , publisher = Greenpeace , title = Greenpeace witnesses DRC’s Oshwe Communities Protest Against Logging Company , date = September 23, 2010 , accessdate = 2012-02-03 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120130190157/http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/Press-Centre-Hub/Press-releases/Greenpeace-witnesses-DRCs-Oshwe-Communities-Protest-Against-Logging-Company/ , archivedate = January 30, 2012 Companies based in Kinshasa Forest products companies Renewable resource companies established in 1994 1994 establishments in Zaire