Op-Ed | Climate Cooperation or Diplomatic Facade? The Quiet Withdrawal of a TotalEnergies Project in Congo Raises Serious Questions

By Modeste Boukadia
March 29, 2025

While Denis Sassou Nguesso was being welcomed with official honors in Paris in May 2025, TotalEnergies quietly pulled out of a major carbon offset project in northern Congo. This stark contrast raises serious concerns about the authenticity of climate cooperation and the nature of French-Congolese relations. In this op-ed, Modeste Boukadia calls for transparency, equity, and accountability in international partnerships. (CDRC Press Office.)

On May 22, 2025, President Denis Sassou Nguesso was received in Paris for an official state visit during which several agreements were ceremoniously signed in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. Images of the event, widely circulated in the media, show both heads of state standing behind Congolese officials as they sign documents that symbolize a supposed renewal of bilateral cooperation.

Yet, only days after this public display, the French environmental media outlet Reporterre published an investigative report titled “TotalEnergies quietly abandons a carbon offset project in Congo”. The report reveals that the French energy giant has silently withdrawn from a major forest-based carbon compensation project in the Likouala region of northern Congo.

Initially launched in 2021, the project was promoted as part of TotalEnergies’ effort to offset its CO₂ emissions by preserving forest areas in Central Africa. However, according to Reporterre, the initiative lacked meaningful consultation with local communities, transparency in environmental outcomes, and tangible socioeconomic benefits for the people concerned. Its quiet abandonment raises deep concerns about the way such so-called “green” partnerships are conceived and implemented: behind closed doors, without accountability, and often disconnected from local realities.

This incident inevitably leads us to ask a pressing question: What do these Paris agreements truly represent, if not anchored in transparency, shared responsibility, and genuine mutual benefit? International cooperation—especially on climate matters—cannot be reduced to public relations exercises. It must be built on respect for fundamental rights, ecological integrity, and long-term development for all stakeholders.

In a country like Congo, where democratic institutions are weakened and natural resources are frequently exploited by a small elite, every development initiative—especially those labeled « sustainable »—deserves thorough scrutiny. The quiet failure of the TotalEnergies project serves as a reminder that the rhetoric of climate responsibility often conceals realities far less virtuous.

The Congolese people deserve better than symbolic diplomacy. They deserve equitable partnerships that prioritize human development, environmental protection, and the recovery of an economic sovereignty long compromised.

Now more than ever, citizen vigilance, independent journalism, and a collective demand for truth must guide our assessment of international agreements that impact our shared future.

Modeste Boukadia
President of the Democratic and Republican Circle Party of Congo