Oil firms accused of violating peace deal, violence in south condemned
Oil firms accused of violating peace deal, violence in south condemned
BBC Monitoring Service – United Kingdom
Published: Dec 11, 2006
Text of report in English by Sudanese newspaper Khartoum Monitor on 11 December
Chairman of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission Ambassador Tom Vraalsen told the media yesterday that the oil companies operating in the oil fields of Sudan are seriously violating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
He stated that he has received disturbing reports indicating that the CPA is being seriously violated in areas where oil is being drilled and where seismic surveys are conducted. There has been extensive environmental degradation, whilst the concerns and the interests of the local community have been totally disregarded, and promised compensation for damages caused by oil related operations has also not been paid.
The ambassador emphasized that the oil companies are generally not interacting with the local communities as they [?are] under an obligation to do so. They continue to violate the CPA at will and with impunity. The administration which is responsible for safeguarding the CPA and whose job it is to see that its provisions are implemented, is reported to be generally unresponsive to the complaints of these communities, he further explained. “This is in violation of the provisions in the wealth sharing protocol of the CPA. It should not and must not be left unattended to. I intend to request the CPA working group on wealth sharing to invite representatives of the oil industry and the relevant authorities to a meeting in the very near future”, he revealed.
He stated that what took place in Malakal and in Eastern Equatoria must not be repeated. “There is no room for the SSDF or any ‘other armed groups’ (OAG) in South Sudan”, he claimed. “They must be transferred out of South Sudan as stated by the defence minister and vice president. We should keep close watch on three dates coming up, the third date to observe would be 9 July 2007. By that time all SAF and SPLA forces with the exception of the JIUs [?Joint Integrated Units] are to be re-deployed to north and south of the 1.1 56 borders”, he explained. He stressed that there is no room for militias in South Sudan as stipulated in the CPA.
The process of incorporation of individual members of all other armed groups into the ranks of either SAF or SPLA shall start as soon as possible. The incorporation should be completed within 12 months from January 2005. “We all know that this has not been done. We cannot accept this most serious violation of CPA to continue”, said Ambassador Vraalsen. He urged all parties to find a solution to Abyei and to expedite the formation, training, tasking and deployment of JIUs, describing them as building blocks for the implementation of the CPA. “Action is overdue”, he stressed. “What has happened and continues to happen in South Sudan is not South Sudan problem. It is a national problem which should be dealt with expeditiously through joint efforts of the signatories to the CPA”, he said in conclusion.