Oil Jarch recruits another Sudan’s SPLA general
December 1, 2007 (PARIS) — A US private investment group claiming rights over oil concessions in southern Sudan announced that a prominent SPLA general had joint its board of advisors.
Jarch Management Group Ltd said in a press statement dated on November 26 and received today that Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Gen. Peter Gadet has joint its advisory board.
“General Peter has a tremendous amount of experience in the Greater Upper Nile region and brings this knowledge of South Sudan to Jarch.” Said the statement.
Early last November Jarch said that Paulino Matip Nhial, deputy commander-in-chief of the SPLA, has joined the advisory board of Jarch Management as vice chairman.
Phil Heilberg, the chairman of the US firm, which is registered in the Virgin Islands, alleges that on February 12, 2003 he signed with the SPLM contracts to explore and exploit oil in Block B in southern Sudan.
He said the following persons were aware or involved in the deal: late SPLM leader, Dr John Garang, Madame Rebecca Garang, Riek Machar, Vice- President of the Government of South Sudan, Kuol Mangyang Juuk, Minister of Transport GONU and board member of White Nile, Ltd., Arthur Akuien Chol, former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of GoSS, Lual A. Deng, State Minister of State for Finance of GONU and non-executive board member of White Nile, Ltd..
Phil told Sudan Tribune last year that these contracts gave Jarch exclusive rights to all commodity contracts until 2009.
This Block B was disputed pendant two years between the British White Nile and the French Total which remains the holder of the rights to explore and exploit oil in this block. The White Nile has been ousted by a decision adopted by the National Petroleum Commission on 17 June 2007.
Total, which owns 32.5% in the block and the operator of the consortium, explored the area in the 1980s before war made operations impossible.
(ST)
Kizth M.
Oil Jarch recruits another Sudan’s SPLA general
Mr. Heilberg must be a very interesting man. few years ago he sworn that the Southerners and their leaders are all stupid and now the same stupid generals are in bed with him. Surely something must have changed in the last three years. Could it be the death of John Garang?
This is an insult to the people of Southern Sudan. Mr. Heilberg and his group think that we our memomeries are so short to forget his yester year lambasting of the same leaders.
We are watching you and we are keeping the record of your activities. Once day someone may survive to hold you accountable for your dealling which have ignore human rights abuses and international business ethic.
Phil Heilberg wrote: (2004)
I have just left Nairobi and spent the last week with various members of the SPLM. We came with excitement especially with the supposed peace process near but our optimism changed to disappointment then to anger then to disbelief and then it changed our view of the stability of the SPLM as a whole.
There a number of critical dynamics going on here that we think has weakened the longevity of the SPLM.
First off, there is clearly a power struggle going on. After meeting with John Garang, we realized that he no longer has the power he once had. He is isolated in Naivasha surrounded by advisers who are in over their heads. In addition, we have witnessed the chief commanders ignoring his orders. We have been told that there is a struggle between the educated Sudanese and the soldiers. In addition, the high commanders apparently like the status quo in that they receive duties and make money on the aid received but do not pass this along to the government. We witnessed ourselves the reduction of power of the educated Sudanese whose views were ignored and were accused of being corrupt and in cahoots with the foreigners to steal the natural resources of the land.
Second, the country is being controlled by a faction of people that are naïve,stupid, arrogant, insulant, xenophobic, and suffering from delusions of grandeur. They are making extremely poor decisions. First off they have upset the US Government who now believe it is the SPLM that is the problem. From our vantage point. This is clearly the case. In addition, they don’t understand the riskiness of the investment opportunities in the region. There was an investment group that wanted to give 90 million to the SPLM before the peace and then to put billions in infrastructure. After making these people wait for over a week in their hotel and constantly changing negotiating teams, they finally decided to talk on the day they were leaving. They made the terms so onerous that they just laughed and left. In fact, the attorney general of the movement insulted everyone of them. This is plain stupidity considering that there are no other companies coming.
Finally, there is in fighting within the movement. Various factions within the movement are selling out others within. As such, the fighting will begin within the movement.
With business deals, the South is already reneging on contracts that it signed just a year ago with the approval of the Chairman.
The South has beaten itself now and refuses to join the international community.
We would urge extreme caution in dealing with the South even if there is a peace agreement (which we think now may not last especially with the announcement that Total will begin exploration in the South).
My thoughts are to deal with Khartoum when sanctions are lifted as the South is decades away from a proper infrastructure in dealing with the international community.
The SPLM has failed its people.
Joe Dyer
Oil Jarch recruits another Sudan’s SPLA general
Heilberg should not be trusted any further than an elephant can be thrown by a toddler. Neither should Generals Peter Gadet or Paulino Matip Nhial. All three have changed positions so many times that we can no longer trust where they come from. If Heilberg’s opinion of the SPLM was that low only a few years ago, I’m very sure it still is. He’s buying influence, not expertise or competence, in hiring those two Defector Generals.