The political stability and development of hydrocarbon production made the Republic of the Congo the fourth largest oil producer in the Gulf of Guinea region, providing the country with relative prosperity despite instability in some areas and unequal distribution of oil revenue nationwide.
Discrimination against Pygmies is widespread, the result of cultural biases, especially traditional relationships with the Bantu, as well as more contemporary forms of exploitation.
According to The Congolese Human Right Observatory, notable issues in the country include: unsatisfactory access to water and electricity, the dispossession of indigenous and local communities by multinational corporations in complicity with local authorities, a significant number of political prisoners, repression of foreign journalists via legal proceedings and attacks by police, general limiting of political freedoms, violations of the right to a fair trial, rape and other forms of sexual assault, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, summary executions, ill-treatment within prisons, discrimination and marginalization of indigenous peoples in spite of specific laws protecting them, and threats against human rights defenders.
[3] While some claim that the bondage is a "time-honored tradition",[3] others point at the fact that Pygmies can be paid "at the master's whim; in cigarettes, used clothing, or even nothing at all.
They even kill us if they see us in the forest.” [6] A 2019 report by the United Nations found that despite the actions of the Congolese government, Pygmies still experienced discrimination and severe social exclusion.