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A consortium of western oil companies, led by ExxonMobil, has drawn
up legal agreements with African governments that potentially override the human
rights of the local populations, according to a report published today by Amnesty
International.
The agreements relate to a 665-mile pipeline running from the Doba
oilfields in Chad to the Atlantic terminal at Kribi in Cameroon.
Andrea Shemberg, an Amnesty legal adviser, said: "The ExxonMobil-led
consortium that operates the pipeline is effectively sidestepping the rule of
law in Chad and in Cameroon. Human rights are not negotiable items that companies
and governments are permitted to eliminate by contract." ExxonMobil
rejected the accusations, insisting that the company has a record of condemning
human rights violations.
Amnesty's 54-page report claims the agreements could require Chad and
Cameroon to give precedence to the interests of the oil companies over the rights
of those living near the pipeline or oilfields. Both governments could face
financial penalties if they interrupt the workings of the oilfields or pipelines.
Amnesty expressed concern that the ambiguity of such legal contracts - known as
host country agreements - create dangerous precedents.
Amnesty said the operation of the oilfields and the pipeline have already
led to alleged abuses in which poor farmers in the Doba region have been displaced
and refused compensation, while other villagers have been denied access to the
only safe water supply. The report adds that Chad and Cameroon have
a poor human rights record.
Chad has agreed with the consortium that, within a pipeline's perimeter, it
is forbidden for "any person to undertake activities which may
interfere with the construction, operation and maintenance" of
the pipeline. Cameroon has agreed to a similar clause. Amnesty recommends that
the agreements be amended to ensure that human rights take priority over the
interests of the consortium.
An ExxonMobil spokesman in the UK yesterday expressed regret that Amnesty had
not consulted the company during the preparation of the report.
"ExxonMobil condemns human rights violations in any form and has actively
expressed these views to governments and others around the world," the
spokesman said.
The spokesman added that in Chad some oil revenues would be used to help social
development projects.
An Amnesty spokeswoman, Sarah Green, said the organisation had discussed the
report with Andre Madec, an ExxonMobil representative in the public affairs
department at its headquarters in Houston, Texas. She said Amnesty was not adopting
an aggressive stance but wanted to enter into a dialogue with ExxonMobil and
other companies about such agreements.