Sudan Upper Nile State official threatens legal action against oil companies
Sudan Upper Nile State official threatens legal action against oil companies
BBC Monitoring Service – United Kingdom
Published: Aug 08, 2007
Text of report by Sudanese independent newspaper Al-Ayyam on 7 August
The area commissioner of Mellut in Upper Nile State disclosed stirring up the adoption of legal measures against a number of petroleum companies which are working in the district in protest of compensations to 172 villages removed from the area for the interest of the companies and also for bad environmental effects resulting from the drilling processes.
He disclosed that there are 3,500 forces from the Sudan Armed Forces in Mellut area.
He said that the pulling out arrangement protocol which is to withdraw the Sudan Armed Forces as from 9 July 2006 has not been implemented.
The area commissioner, Thon Diit, demanded that 75 per cent of the companies’ employees should be from the area.
Adding that among the thousands of the companies’ employees, for a company has a drilling well, only 400 of its workers are from the area.
The area commissioner complained that these companies do not participate in the development of the area only the two per cent which was stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement received by the province during the period between November and April.
He indicated that the month of June and July has not been received, adding that even the two per cent is not even known from how many barrels.
He indicated that there is no information even concerning the drilling wells and the amount produced.
At the same time he demanded the availability of information so that there is transparency serving every body.
Source: Al-Ayyam, Khartoum, in Arabic 7 Aug 07