On April 13, 2026, TotalEnergies EP Congo announced it had discovered hydrocarbons on the Moho permit, offshore of the Republic of Congo. The company estimates the find could amount to nearly 100 million barrels of recoverable resources, though observers warn that the windfall won’t likely reach many Congolese citizens, roughly a third of whom live below the poverty line. Many African countries rely on foreign oil and are struggling amid the war in Iran and blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. “The continent is facing a fuel energy crisis,” said Amos Wemanya, senior adviser on renewable energy and just transition at Power Shift Africa. “The fossil fuel industry is making windfall profits while people are suffering. This oil being discovered in the Republic of Congo, whose oil is it? Is it for the people of Congo or for multinational corporations?” he asked during a phone interview with Mongabay. Congo’s national oil company, the National Petroleum Company of the Congo has a 15% stake in the recent find. The Republic of the Congo is Africa’s third-largest oil exporter but it’s hard to pinpoint how much oil is actually produced. According to a World Bank report, it appears that Congolese oil companies underreport and undervalue their exports to reduce their tax bills. Meanwhile, more than half the population of Congo lives on less than $2 a day. Corruption and governance challenges have also contributed to the disconnect between industry profits and local poverty. In a press release, TotalEnergies welcomed the discovery. “This…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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