Scottish Weir Group to withdraw from Sudan oil
December 21, 2007 (LONDON) — Scottish engineering firm Weir Group has confirmed it will withdraw from operating in Sudan at the end of the year. It follows the announcement in April that Rolls Royce would also be ceasing its business relationships in Sudan.
Weir Group, which has been supplying equipment to Sudan for over 25 years, has supported the Sudanese oil industry by supplying equipment for oil exploitation, production and refining in Sudan.
As oil revenues have boomed, military expenditure in Darfur has also escalated, with horrific consequences for the 2.5 million men, women and children who are now displaced. Over 200,000 have lost their lives.
The Ageis Trust and Sudan Divestment UK campaign against the participation of British firms working in the Sudan oil sector in order to pressurize Khartoum to stop the ongoing violence against Darfur civilians since 2003 following the beginning of an armed insurrection in the region.
However the two rights groups, who welcomed Weir group move, say careful to exclude from their compaign industries in which many Sudanese civilians work, such as agriculture.
The Ageis Trust and Sudan Divestment UK target British companies, including Petrofac, Arcadia Petroleum and Mott MacDonald. They also encourage British investors to sell shares in the foreign companies working in Sudan from China, India and Malaysia.
Sudan doesn’t have the domestic expertise or equipment to extract its own oil, and relies almost exclusively on the involvement of foreign companies like Weir Group. However, Weir Group are also responsible for supplying water pumps to the region.
(ST)