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- Info
0612
press release
ced-friends of the earth cameroon,
yaounde
12 june 2004
inauguration of the chad-cameroon oil
pipeline by presidents paul biya of cameroon
and idriss deby of chad.
Presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and Idriss
Deby of Chad will inaugurate the
Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline today in Kribi.
This ceremony marks the official kick-off of
the exploitation phase of Chad oil by Exxon
Mobil, Chevron and Petronas
multinationals.
Presented as a model in terms of development
and poverty alleviation, the greatest
development project ever implemented in
Sub-Saharan Africa, the Chad-Cameroon
pipeline has in effect not been able to
improve the living standards of the local
populations of the countries concerned.
Throughout the various stages of the project
- from preparation to exploitation through
construction - the Centre for the Environment
and Development (CED), the Cameroon affiliate
of Friends of the Earth, has continuously
denounced the numerous project deficiencies.
Contrary to the official line, CED made sure
to disclose the problems and shortcomings of
the project.
At the time when the consortium celebrates
the start of oil exploitation and declares
with much enthusiasm that the project has
been successful both at the social and
economic level, CED feels obliged to recall
that there are still numerous unresolved
issues.
CED wishes to recall that individual,
community and regional compensations were
neither totally paid nor satisfactory. Still
today, several local inhabitants are still
expecting their due, with unfortunately no
hope of being heard at the time when oil is
already exported from the Kribi terminal. The
Indigenous Peoples Plan, which should have
improved the situation of the Bakola-Bagyeli
pygmies, was poorly drafted and its
implementation remains a cause for
concern.
Cases of workers' rights abuses were
recorded but not resolved and, up to date,
numerous workers are still waiting for
justice to be done. Most of them were
underpaid, and the precarious nature of their
working conditions did not contribute to
their self-fulfilment. Many were roughed up,
mistreated and even put to jail. Their
complaints were filed before several
institutions (labour inspection, judicial
bodies, the World Bank inspection panel,
etc.) without any final and satisfactory
solution.
Environment protection is not guaranteed.
The oil spill response plan remains mere
theory and response mechanisms are not up to
date.
Concerning the health of the local
populations, the pipeline project is pregnant
with as many undisclosed scandals as there is
sand on the beach. Hence, it appeared that
Cotco and Totco did not ensure sufficient
follow-up of the project's impact on the
health of local populations. The inflow and
outflow of job seekers led to prostitution
and overcrowding, which contribute to the
development and spread of diseases such as
AIDS. Furthermore, wells and other drinking
water sources along the pipeline route were
polluted, therefore causing several
water-borne diseases.
Project management also destabilised the
local socio-economic balance, which led to
major social conflicts. This can be
illustrated by the precarious situation of
the fishermen of the Ebome village in Kribi
where the rocky fishing area was destroyed
during the construction of the sea terminal,
depriving the inhabitants of this locality of
their livelihoods.
Consequently, CED rises up against any
propagandist literature that tends to present
the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project as a
perfect example of success through which the
World Bank can contribute to development and
poverty reduction through extractive
industries.
CED calls for the sense of responsibility of
the project developers and recommends that
the lessons of the Chad-Cameroon experience
be taken into account for the execution of
future projects of similar scope.
Hence, beyond the attended credit and
self-satisfaction, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline
project brought about more tears than smiles,
therefore betraying the World Bank-supported
development and poverty reduction goals.
Finally, CED regrets to note that numerous
local inhabitants are as poor as before, if
not poorer. Expectations were not met and
many concerns remain. This is to say that at
the time of inauguration, the Chad-Cameroon
pipeline project will remain in the minds of
Cameroonians not as a development project,
but as a regular project at the exclusive
service of the egoistical interests of
foreign multinational
.
Contact: Belmond Tchoumba. Tel: 950 45 31 /
Edith Abilogo. Tel: 952 49 05
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