Report from the field: Kinshasa to Goma and everything in between, by our Programme Co-ordinator for Africa, Martijn ter Heegde.
When first arriving in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a few years ago the first temptation for me was to look back at the departing plane and see if there was still an empty seat!

I travelled to Akom II on a Wednesday morning. Akom II is a small village deep in the forests of Southern Cameroon. The town is not even one hundred kilometres from the ‘famous’ coastal resort of Kribi, with its sandy beaches and posh hotels. Whereas one can get to Kribi through a beautifully tarred road, the path to Akom II is rather tortuous. Several hours over bumpy roads and small bridges lead you through a staggeringly green landscape among small hills. The colours that dominate are green, endless variations of green and the reddish colour of the earth...

During 2006, I visited Congo’s three most forested provinces - Bandundu, Equateur and Oriental -to assess the ability of the Congolese authorities to control the logging companies that now threaten this unique area of rainforest. I was shocked by what I found...