Oil discovery adds new twist to Darfur tragedy

[mom cat]

Oil discovery adds new twist to Darfur tragedy
15 Jun 2005

Source: AlertNet
By Ruth Gidley

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/111885496661.htm

Reuters photo
LONDON (AlertNet) – The existence of big oilfields in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region has added a new twist to a two-year-old conflict that has sown misery for millions, potentially turning the quest for peace into tussle over resources.

Sudan announced in April that its ABCO corporation – which is 37 percent owned by Swiss company Clivenden – had begun drilling for oil in Darfur, where preliminary studies showed there were “abundant” quantities of oil.

The news has prompted some humanitarian experts to wonder whether oil could be guiding Khartoum’s actions in Darfur, where a scorched-earth policy against rebels’ communities has left tens of thousands dead and forced at least 2 million driven from their homes.

“There’s some speculation that one of the reasons that these land grabs are going on is to get the African tribes off the ground so they can be controlled by the government in Khartoum,” Ken Bacon, president of U.S. advocacy organisation Refugees International, told AlertNet.

Sudan’s main oilfields are in the south and disputes

[jwirr]

1. No wonder bushie is letting

them kill the people there - less people means an easier takeover for the big corporations. I have for a long time wondered if the bushie policies are not aimed at letting the people of Africa and Asia die off in various ways so it is easier to control the natural resources there. God I hope I am wrong.

[mom cat]

2. You are not wrong, just tragically right.

[wallwriter]

3. I agree, but it's interesting how

it was necessary to invade Iraq immediately (because the oil there was flowing), while Darfur can wait (because the oil isn't pumping yet)...

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