Civil society groups have denounced the “arbitrary” arrests of 11 community leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo following a peaceful protest over the impacts of mining operations on local communities.

Authorities made the arrests on May 1 in the country’s southeastern Lualaba province, prompting calls by local and international NGOs for the “immediate and unconditional release of all detainees.”

The case centers around Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), one of the world’s largest copper and cobalt miners and a subsidiary of CMOC (China Molybdenum) Group, which in 2020 built a lime processing plant near the village of Kabombwa in Lualaba.

Two years later, following an investigation, the NGO African Natural Resources Watch (AFREWATCH) alleged that TFM’s plant was releasing acidic water into a nearby river, causing 11 deaths between 2020 and 2022. The company denied AFREWATCH’s findings, yet in 2023 relocated several Kabombwa residents through a provincial government commission, and paid out compensation ranging from $3,000 to $5,000.

Three years after the relocation, many residents remain deeply dissatisfied.

“They realized the amount they received was far from sufficient and does not allow them to live decently,” Leonard Zama, activist and director of the Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights and Social Reintegration (IPDHOR ASBL), told Mongabay by phone. During the relocation, TFM also promised support for housing and health care for three years, but the agreement was only verbal “and nothing was done,” Zama added.

Frustrated by what they describe as inadequate responses to their demands by the end of the three-year period, several community leaders decided to return and resettle in Kabombwa as a form of protest. According to an official letter seen by Mongabay, the leaders on April 7 had written to the mayor of Fungurume municipality, where TFM’s operations are located, about returning to their ancestral land on April 20.

“This created tensions with the mining company, which filed a complaint, and prosecutors then arrested members of the community,” said Jean-Pierre Okenda, executive president of DRC-based NGO Sentinelle des Ressources Naturelles.

The community leaders were charged with “illegal occupation,” according to Zama.

“No project should come at the expense of local populations, yet that is exactly what is happening here,” Okenda said. “In my opinion, if the authorities and the mining company truly wanted to find a compromise, there would be one. Resorting to prosecutors will not calm the situation.”

As of May 15, three community leaders have been released, and one person has appeared in court. According to Zama, detainees were asked to pay 400,000 Congolese francs (about $175) in exchange for provisional release, a significant amount in a country where 85% of the population lives below the poverty line.

At the time of publication, eight people remained in detention, according to civil society groups.

Banner image: Adéarld Mkonga, a resident of Kabombwa who demanded a “legal relocation” process and better compensation. Mkonga passed away in 2024. Image courtesy of Eric Cibamba.

European and African business leaders and heads of state have announced a raft of clean energy and infrastructure investments at the recent Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi. Forty companies announced plans to invest roughly 27 billion euros ($31.5 billion) across about 30 projects in Africa. They aim to generate a combined 100 billion euros ($116.5 billion) in revenue while employing more than 600,000 people across the continent.

The wider goal is to deepen industrial ties and accelerate Africa’s transition to low-carbon power. Energy attracted the largest share of investments, roughly 14 billion euros ($16.3 billion). Agriculture, human capital, finance, AI, industrialization and the blue economy were also a focus.

Kenya and France jointly hosted the May 11-12 gathering, which organizers said was designed to build a “partnership of equals.” Africa and Europe, particularly France, have historically had a contentious relationship rooted in colonialism.

Commitments on renewable energy

French utility EDF confirmed plans for 2 gigawatts of hydropower projects across several African countries. French oil and gas major TotalEnergies outlined more than $10 billion in new investments by 2030, including $2 billion for renewable power in Rwanda and $400 million for clean cooking initiatives in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. TotalEnergies will also work with Ellipse Projects on the construction and renovation of hospital infrastructure worth $700 million.

Infrastructure investor Meridiam announced $200 million to double the capacity of Kenya’s Kipeto wind project, while Global Telecom Holding pledged $350 million for a 250-megawatt solar farm in Zambia.

AXIAN Group and partners committed $280 million to co-develop digital and energy infrastructure, while Schneider Electric pledged $20 million to its GAIA Energy Impact Fund II, which invests in African clean-tech startups.

Shipping line CMA CGM joined African stakeholders in a $700 million port upgrade in Mombasa, Kenya, to accommodate next-generation container ships using energy-saving smart port systems.

The deals also extend beyond energy generation to transmission and access with plans for modular bridge plants in three countries and a $1.7 billion pipeline network in Côte d’Ivoire.

French development bank Bpifrance and Morocco’s OCP Group launched the Seed of Africa Investment Fund with $150 million to back sustainable agro-industrial ventures, including fertilizer innovation and renewable-powered production lines.

Leading the global energy transition?

African leaders have argued the continent should play a leading role in the global energy transition, given its vast renewable energy potential. Speaking at the summit, Kenyan President William Ruto said: “For Africa, this energy transition must also be an industrial transition.”

Observers say the deals announced in Nairobi could be a path toward low-carbon energy access for more than 600 million people living without reliable electricity in Africa.

A final outcome document obtained by Mongabay calls for further commitments to promote green industrialization through investments in renewable energy and low-carbon systems including hydrogen, hydropower, geothermal, waste-to-energy and nuclear power.

Banner image: Solar panels at the NOOR solar complex in Ouarzazate, Morocco, one of Africa’s largest renewable energy projects. Image courtesy of AfDB.

In less than a month, the world’s attention will shift to one of the biggest sporting events on the planet: the FIFA World Cup. As fans prepare to travel to stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada, scientists are warning that dangerous heat linked to climate change could create unsafe conditions for both athletes and spectators.

A new analysis warns that dangerous levels of heat and humidity are now nearly twice as likely as they were the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup, in 1994, largely due to human-driven climate change.

The study, conducted as part of the World Weather Attribution initiative, found that more than two dozen matches this summer are expected to be played under potentially dangerous heat-stress conditions.

“Matches this summer will be played in conditions made hotter by climate change, putting players and fans at risk,” Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in a statement obtained by Mongabay.

Researchers used the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), a measure of heat stress in direct sun that combines temperature, humidity, sunlight, wind and cloud cover to identify trends across several host cities. A WBGT above 26° Celsius (79° Fahrenheit) is considered risky, while temperatures above 28°C (82°F) are deemed unsafe for play, according to the study. During the upcoming tournament, the WBGT for 26 matches is expected to reach or exceed 26°C. In 1994, there were likely 21. Five matches could surpass the dangerous 28°C threshold this year, compared with three during the 1994 tournament, according to the report.

Metro areas considered most at risk include Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta and New York, where afternoon and early evening matches coincide with peak heat and humidity.

World soccer’s governing body, FIFA, says it is taking measures to protect players during the tournament. These include mandatory three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half, regardless of weather conditions. Match schedules are expected to include at least three days of rest between games. Staff and substitute players will also have access to climate-controlled benches during outdoor matches.

The growing concern over heat comes four years after Qatar moved the 2022 World Cup from its traditional Northern Hemisphere summer schedule to November and December over concerns of extreme desert temperatures — the first World Cup ever held at that time of year.

Stiell said climate action is urgently needed before rising temperatures affect global sport even more.

“We must move faster to protect the game we love and everyone who watches it,” he said. “That means doubling down on the decisive shift to clean energy, which can be a game-changer for people everywhere.”

Banner image: MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Image courtesy of VisitNewJersey.org.

A new Ebola outbreak has been declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to an announcement made by The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on May 15.

Sixty-five people have died and around 246 suspected cases have been identified so far, mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri province. Africa CDC said four of the deaths have been confirmed through laboratory testing.

Mongabay contacted military authorities in Ituri as well as several provincial lawmakers for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The number of deaths and cases could rise rapidly. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital located on the shores of Lake Albert near the border with Uganda. Due to its geographic and political position, the city is a major cultural, economic and social hub, making the presence of suspected cases particularly concerning for Africa CDC.

“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighboring countries, rapid regional coordination is critical,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, in a statement shared with Mongabay. “We are working with the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and partners to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and response efforts, and to help contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.”

In response to the latest outbreak, the pan-African agency announced that an emergency meeting would be held May 15 “to strengthen cross-border surveillance, preparedness and outbreak response efforts.” Participants are expected to include health authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as international NGOs, U.N. agencies experienced in Ebola response, and pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Ebola disease, transmitted by a virus, is a zoonotic disease, meaning it originates from wild animals, although the animal hosts are still unclear, according to the World Health Organization. Human transmission occurs through bodily fluids, the main symptoms include fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhea. Infected individuals only become contagious after symptoms appear, following an incubation period ranging from two to 21 days.

This is the 17th outbreak of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever recorded in the DRC since 1976. Although vaccines and treatments now exist, mortality rates during previous outbreaks ranged from 25% to 90%, according to the WHO.

The most recent previous Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared in August 2025 in the center of the country and killed at least 45 people before it was declared over in December. The deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which lasted from 2018 to 2020, caused nearly 2,300 deaths out of almost 3,500 recorded cases, according to the WHO.

Banner image: Health workers accompany a child suspected of having Ebola at the disease treatment center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on September 9, 2018. For representation only. Image by Al-hadji Kudra Maliro, Associated Press.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a clean electricity strategy Thursday he says will help double Canada’s electricity grid by 2050 and lower energy costs for the majority of Canadian households.

Canada is facing major challenges, including tariffs imposed by the United States, higher energy costs resulting from the war with Iran, plus the effects of climate change, Carney said.

“When the world fundamentally changes, we must respond with new approaches,” he said.

The new strategy includes regulations that will allow natural gas to play a larger role in building the grid. Construction is expected to cost more than $1 trillion Canadian ($730 billon).

“The path to affordability is electrification,” Carney told a news conference in Ottawa. “The path to competitiveness is electrification. The path to net zero is electricity.”

Carney said the plan includes new partnerships with Indigenous people and a willingness to use a wide range of energy, including hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, some gas, carbon capture and geothermal.

“The scale is huge, the timeline is short and the task of getting the right mix of power is complex,” he said. “We can’t simply rely on restrictions and prohibitions. We must do things differently.”

The government forecasts 130,000 new workers will be needed to double the size of grid.

The strategy signals a shift from the existing clean electricity regulations presented by the former Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. That plan to decarbonize Canada’s grid by 2050 set limits on carbon dioxide pollution from almost all electricity generation units that use fossil fuels.

Electricity accounts for about 7% of Canada’s total greenhouse emissions, an amount that has fallen substantially in the last 15 years as most provinces reduced or phased out the use of coal power.

The strategy doesn’t say how much money the government is willing to spend to achieve the goal, although it mentions offering tax credits and bringing back energy-saving retrofits for up to a million households.

The Canadian Climate Institute, a climate change policy research organization, said the strategy is “pointing in the right direction” but several important issues remain ambiguous or missing.

“Ultimately, the success of the strategy will depend on details of how — and how swiftly — the government follows through on expanding clean power generation, transmission and widespread electrification,” Dale Beugin, the institute’s executive vice president, said in a statement.

By Jim Morris, Associated Press

Banner image: A female polar bear sits on rocks in Churchill, Manitoba. Joshua A. Bickel, Associated Press. 

At least 18,000 animal species globally are threatened with extinction: they’re listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority.

Sustained conservation efforts have resulted in rebounding numbers for many species, including populations of some wolves, whales, lizards and parrots. But many others are struggling to survive as they face habitat loss and fatal human-led pressures.

On Endangered Species Day on May 15, we’re highlighting some of these stories that Mongabay recently reported on.

Wolves are back in California’s wild

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) began to repopulate the western U.S. state of California in 2015, after several decades of local extinction.

Now, after dedicated rewilding efforts, an estimated 50 to 70 wolves roam the state, organized in at least 10 separate packs.

According to a 2013 poll, more than two-thirds of California’s voters supported the reintroduction of wolves to the wild, but some opinions have since shifted.

Between 2015 and 2024, wolves killed least 142 head of cattle, about 0.002% of California’s nearly 7-million-strong herd. This triggered one county to kill four wolves of a pack who had become reliant on livestock as a food source.

Some ranchers are now adopting nonlethal deterrents, such as faldry (strips of fabric hung on a fence), drones blaring loud music, and electric fences, to keep wolves at bay, reported Mongabay’s Spoorthy Raman.

West African leopard population listed as endangered

The leopard population in West Africa has declined by 50% over the past two decades. About 350 mature individuals remain in the region, according to the latest assessment by the IUCN, prompting a reclassification of the West African population of leopards (Panthera pardus) from vulnerable to endangered on Oct. 9.

West African leopards are genetically isolated from those in Central Africa, with little interbreeding between the populations. They survive largely in fragmented protected areas across 11 West African countries.

“In Africa, the leopard is not doing too badly, but in West Africa it’s a different story,” Robin Horion, a field technician with U.S.-based NGO Panthera, told Mongabay’s Elodie Toto.

Rays need more attention

Rays are facing an extinction crisis that is being overlooked, scientists recently told Mongabay senior editor Philip Jacobson.

New estimates, from research that has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggest that around 191 million rays are killed each year, roughly twice the number of sharks.

About 36% of all ray species are threatened with extinction, rising to 69% for species that live in reefs.

“I think people, sadly, don’t really care as much about rays, unless they’re the big charismatic species,” Chris Mull, a marine ecologist at Dalhousie University in Canada, told Jacobson. “But there’s a huge diversity and fishing pressure and also extinction risk of a lot of these coastal species of rays.”

Banner image: The endangered reticulate whipray (Himantura uarnak) is hunted in the wild for its skin. Image © brudermann via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0).