A human rights defender who is actively supporting communities affected by the oil palm plantation company PHC (formerly Feronia) was arrested without a warrant by police and military officers in Lokutu. The human rights defender was then taken to the police station in Lokutu (Auditorat Militaire de Lokutu) where he reported being subjected to ill-treatement by police officers. He has been temporarily released in order to receive medical attention.

Frank Balimbasa is a human rights defender and the head of the regional office of Réseau d’Information et d’Appui aux ONG nationales (RIAO RDC). RIAO RDC is a network of 256 non-governmental organisations and 333 farmers' associations across different provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). RIAO-RDC has played a prominent role working with communities in rural areas of the DRC to defend land and resource rights.