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  Security issues / Conflict zones: Jan.-Aug. 2001  

See also other materials on "Security issues / Conflict zones"

Jan.-Aug. 2001:

Bishops' Conference to Hear Oil Group's Position: The Sudan Catholic Bishops, who are holding their annual meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, from 21 August to 1 September, have agreed, at the company's request, to hear a presentation by the Canadian oil company, Talisman, on its operations in Sudan, according to a press statement on Wednesday...Talisman's request for a meeting resulted from a letter the Catholic bishops wrote to the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in mid-September, suggesting that the production of oil in Sudan would fuel the civil war. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 29 Aug. 2001)

Global Witness Director Speaks On Timber And Sanctions [link between armed conflict in West Africa and Liberian timber] (The Perspective [Smyrna, Georgia, USA], 29 Aug. 2001)

Wall Street Fights U.S. Effort To Push Human Rights in Sudan: Bill Would Close Capital Markets to Foreign Firms Working in African Nation - White House, Greenspan, Goldman Sachs Face Off Against Unions, Congressional Black Caucus - A U.S. congressional campaign to punish companies doing business with Sudan is forcing a debate over whether human rights should take precedence over the importance of keeping U.S. capital markets open to foreigners. (Neil King Jr. and Michael Schroeder, The Wall Street Journal Europe, 28 Aug. 2001)

Botswana protests against UK diamond campaign: Botswana on Sunday struck out at the British government for supporting a campaign against conflict diamonds that threatened to damage the economy of the most stable southern African country. (James Lamont, Financial Times, 26 Aug. 2001)

Unsanctioned Action: Political Power Does Not Grow From The Barrel Of An Economic Gun - The [U.S.] Administration opposes a new form of economic sanction that might be applied to the government of Sudan. The House of Representatives recently passed the "Sudan Peace Act," which includes an amendment prohibiting foreign companies that do business in Sudan from raising money or listing shares in U.S. capital markets. The new provision would apply to foreign companies, particularly a Canadian oil company called Talisman Energy; China National Petroleum, Lundin Oil of Sweden and Petronas, the state oil company of Malaysia. (editorial, Thomas G. Donlan, Barron's [USA], 25 Aug. 2001)

Sudan's dilemma: Cutting off capital markets is a mistake - The [U.S] administration should continue to oppose the House bill, and remain wary of providing military assistance to the rebels, who also have considerable blood on their hands. The administration also should move quickly to assign a special envoy to address the broader peace issues and to diplomatically press China, Britain, Sweden, Canada and other countries to discourage oil companies from doing business in Sudan. (editorial, Dallas Morning News, 24 Aug. 2001)

Remarks of U.S. Rep. Tony P. Hall to the Second Annual Diamond Mining Conference [regarding conflict diamonds and proposed Clean Diamonds Act legislation]  (U.S. Representative Tony Hall, 23 Aug. 2001)

Weir Group stands firm over Sudan: Weir Group [Glasgow-based maker of pumps vital for moving oil through pipelines] yesterday hit out at criticism from human rights groups of its business in war-torn Sudan and said it would consider further projects there...Human rights groups, led by Christian Aid, have castigated Weir for its involvement and charged that this makes it "complicit" in the Khartoum government's violent campaign against its own people in the south of the country. (Saeed Shah, Independent [UK], 23 Aug. 2001) 

Government defuses explosives set by rebels to blow up major Sudanese oil pipeline (Associated Press, 23 Aug. 2001)

Talisman could be caught in SEC clampdown - Political battle: Alberta firm under pressure to divest Sudan operations - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is not backing down from a new demand that foreign companies wanting to raise capital in the U.S. must declare whether they are earning profits from "rogue" states. In what has become an intense political battle, Congress and at least one influential Washington lobby group are trying to force Harvey Pitt, the new SEC chairman, to honour a May 8 pledge made by Laura Unger, the former acting SEC chairman, to demand more disclosure from non-U.S. companies about foreign operations. The debate has ensnared Talisman Energy Inc. of Calgary, already under heavy pressure to divest its operations in the Sudan. Talisman is a part owner of an oil project in Sudan with the national oil companies of China, Malaysia and Sudan. The other major Western oil companies active in the country are TotalFinaElf SA of France and Lundin Oil AB of Sweden. (Peter Morton, Financial Post [Canada], 23 Aug. 2001)

South Africa: Racism Plagues Response to Rural Crime - The South African government is failing to adequately protect residents of commercial farming areas from violent crime, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released today.  "Attacks against farm owners have gotten most of the attention, but attacks against other farm residents are a much bigger problem. Farmworkers and other rural dwellers are more vulnerable to violence, including from their employers, and less likely to get help from the police and courts." (press release, Human Rights Watch, 22 Aug. 2001)

Government Collects US $91,000 From Diamonds: As at the end of June 2000, Sierra Leone's Government Gold and Diamond Office collected some US $91,000 as revenue from fees paid by diamond exporters, according to a review of the country's new diamond certification scheme. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 22 Aug. 2001)

No surprise, 2000 was another record year for arms merchants: ...while critics were busily blaming Washington for torpedoing the recent UN talks aimed at curbing an expanding trade in easily portable weapons like pistols and submachineguns, unmentioned or forgotten were the contributions that every single one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council was making to the global proliferation of armaments of all sorts. (Michael Littlejohns, Earth Times News Service, 21 Aug. 2001)

Pipeline Fire Looms in Ogoni, Threatens Crude Oil Sale: Another catastrophe looms in Ogoniland, the oil-rich community of Rivers State, as the entire area continues to be ravaged by fire outbreaks resulting from burst pipelines. [Nigeria] (Yakubu Lawal, The Guardian [Lagos], 21 Aug. 2001)

U.S. "Supplier of Choice" for Weapons Sales: The United States remained the world’s leading arms merchant in 2000, with almost $18.6 billion in sales, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. Almost 70% of U.S. weapons were sold to the developing world. (World Policy Institute, 20 Aug. 2001)

UN Conference on Small Arms Achieves Mixed Results (World Policy Institute, 17 Aug. 2001)

Talisman seeks tighter security at Sudan site: Talisman Energy Inc. is talking to the government of Sudan about stepping up security at its Heglig oil project after a group of 10 to 20 rebels slipped inside its security perimeter before dawn on Aug. 5. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 17 Aug. 2001)

Shell, Legislator Differ On Pipeline Vandalisation in Ogoni [Nigeria] (Joseph Ollor-Obari, The Guardian [Lagos], 16 Aug. 2001)

reports (and Shell Nigeria's response) about the death of a Nigerian youth shot on 9 August 2001 by police accompanying a Shell crew repairing an oil leak:

Government Refutes Timber Allegations: The Liberian government dismissed as "far-fetched" on Thursday the claims of a UK-based rights group that revenue from logging continued to fuel conflict in West Africa, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 11 Aug. 2001)

Liberian timber riches seen fuelling regional war: Revenues from Liberian timber are allowing President Charles Taylor to fuel war in West Africa and are more important than diamonds as a source of funds, an international campaigner said this week. (Silvia Aloisi, Reuters, 9 Aug. 2001)

Bush set to head off oil sanctions in Sudan bill: The Bush administration is set to oppose legislation that would bar foreign oil companies doing business in Sudan from listing on US stock exchanges, fearing that it could set a damaging precedent for political interference in US capital markets. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 7 Aug. 2001)

Christian Aid calls for immediate suspension of oil operations in Sudan following rebel attack (Christian Aid, 6 Aug. 2001)

SMALL ARMS: Annan Says Norms, Standards Must Follow Conference - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday told the Security Council the "significant first steps" made at July's UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms must be followed by establishment of legally binding norms and standards to "consolidate these gains," adding that "implementation will be the true test." (UN Wire, 3 Aug. 2001)

Aceh: Lawsuit accuses Exxon Mobil of complicity in abuses - The US-based oil giant Exxon Mobil is being challenged in an American court over its implication in human rights abuses committed by Indonesian troops in the war-torn territory of Aceh. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

BP's Tangguh project will increase tension: Preparations for BP's giant Tangguh gas project are moving ahead at a time of heightened tension in West Papua as the Indonesian military toughens its stance against 'threats to security' in the disputed territory. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

CDC [Commonwealth Development Corporation] projects criticised over impacts [Indonesia]: Communities in Kalimantan are trying to secure fair compensation for lands and resources from two oil palm plantation companies funded by CDC, the British private investment agency. Although some moves towards negotiations have been made, CDC still fails to acknowledge that the projects' policies on land acquisition and community relations have led to social conflict, deforestation and, for some communities, increased poverty. In the meantime, the projects are proceeding, while many disputes remain unsettled. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

PT KEM agreement [Indonesia]: Pressure from communities, Indonesian and international NGOs has forced improvements in the way Rio Tinto deals with people affected by its Kelian gold mine in East Kalimantan. Here, Dayak communities have persisted in asserting their rights to proper compensation for land resources lost to the mine and for the ill-treatment at the hands of the company. This was despite years of intimidation from security forces and the company's failure to stick to negotiation agreements. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

Categories of Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Abuses - Based on a background paper for the Global Compact dialogue on "The role of the private sector in zones of conflict", New York, 21-22 March 2001 (Andrew Clapham and Scott Jerbi, Aug. 2001)

Mining ban snubbed in S Leone: Sierra Leonean rebels and pro-government militia are not complying with a mining ban imposed in the eastern diamond heartland of Kono, government and UN sources said on Saturday. (Christo Johnson, Reuters, in News24 [Cape Town], 29 July 2001) 

US Official Urges Sudan to Invest Oil-Money in Fighting Hunger (Katy Salmon, Voice of America [USA], 27 July 2001)

Shell, MOSOP Break Truce: The peace agreement reached between the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and Shell Petroleum Development Company at the Port Harcourt sitting of Oputa Panel has broken down as representatives of Ogoni are now accusing SPDC [Shell] of insincerity. (P.M. News [Lagos, Nigeria], 26 July 2001)

Nigerian commission arranges Shell-Ogoni meeting: Nigeria's human rights commission yesterday arranged for a meeting in September between Shell and Ogoni leaders to discuss the possibility of the oil company resuming operations in the Ogoniland region. (Cletus Akwaya, Reuters, 26 July 2001)

Shell at Oputa panel, seeks peace with Ogoni [Nigeria]: Embattled Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) yesterday at the Human Rights Violation Commission sitting in Abuja made a spirited attempt to reconcile with the Ogoni who have been locked in a long-drawn feud with the oil multinational....A major highlight of the commission's sitting was the appearance of Shell's Managing Director, Mr. Ron M.Van Den Berg who mounted the witness rostrum and was cross-examined by Mittee for close to three hours....At the cross examination stage, Mittee accused the multinational company of collaborating with security operatives in Rivers State to unleash a reign of human rights abuses on the Ogoni people for a very long time even as he stated that the rights abuses are still ongoing.  But Mr. Van Den Berg in an emotionally laden voice, appealed to the Ogoni activists to "give peace a chance"....Stating his company's respects human rights, he said "SPDC has over the years sought to carry out its operations in Nigeria in accordance with the best standards available. These standards have not been static, and every effort has been made, and is still being made, to carry out our operations in compliance with international standards. (Emmanuel Onwubiko, Guardian [Lagos, Nigeria], 25 July 2001)

Shell Begs to Return to Ogoniland: Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Ron M. Van den Berg, dragged before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Human Rights Commission by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) yesterday told the panel that his primary concern was for peace and reconciliation so that his company could resume operation in oil-rich Ogoniland....On the allegation that Shell paid the Major Paul Okuntimo led Internal Security Force in Rivers state to suppress Ogonis, the Shell boss said "I don't know about that".  (Ahamefula Ogbu and Lillian Okenwa, This Day [Nigeria], 25 July 2001)

How Saro Wiwa Was Killed: Family Demands N10b Compensation - Wants Abubakar, Akhigbe, Others Summoned (Godwin Tsa, Post Express [Lagos, Nigeria], 25 July 2001)

South African Oil Firm Says "No Plans for Sudan": The South African oil parastatal Soekor has issued a statement saying that, contrary to reports in some leading South African newspapers, the company is not about to enter into any agreement with the Sudanese government that would allow it to conduct oil prospecting in the southern parts of that country. "Reports to this effect are inaccurate," said Acting Chief Executive Kevin Stallbom. To put the record straight, Stallbom said Soekor shared the concerns of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) "that an insensitive pursuit of oil interests in the Sudan might contribute to the escalation of the civil war in that country". (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 25 July 2001)

A statement/submission presented by Mr. Ron M. Van Den Berg Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), To The Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission [Nigeria] - 24/07/01 (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, 24 July 2001)

Shell Forced to Confront Its Past in Nigeria: Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell will today be forced to confront its past associations with the Nigerian military regime of General Sani Abacha as it is called for cross examination by MOSOP counsel appearing before a panel in Abuja investigating human rights violations under military rule.  Shell has been named by MOSOP, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, when it filed over 8,000 petitions which accuse security forces and the company of being responsible for abuses ranging from environmental damage to extra-judicial killings occurring over several decades. (Movement For The Survival Of The Ogoni People [MOSOP], 24 July 2001)

LAGOS: Hanged writer's son demands compensation: The son of Nigerian writer Ken Saro Wiwa, who was hanged with eight others by a Nigerian military government, has demanded a state pardon for his father and millions in compensation, state television reported [Nigeria]. The nine activists were hanged in November 1995 by dictator Sani Abacha's military junta on charges of instigating the murder of four moderate Ogoni chiefs....Saro Wiwa's organisation, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), campaigned against Shell, arguing that oil exploitation had devastated Ogoniland and left its people in poverty. The company was forced out of Ogoniland in southern Nigeria in 1993, after increasingly violent protests by MOSOP. The families of the Ogoni Nine are suing Shell in a New York Court, accusing the company of recruiting the police and military to attack local villagers and suppress organised opposition. (Reuters, 24 July 2001) 

Soekor's Sudanese excursion upsets SA bishops: The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) on Friday said it was "gravely concerned" that Soekor, South Africa's oil parastatal, is in the advanced stages of negotiating expansion activities in Sudan. "Oil is key to the war in Sudan. During our visits to Sudan, we saw for ourselves the results of the forced removal and displacement of tens of thousands of southern Sudanese to make the oilfields and pipeline safe from attack," said Cardinal Wilfred Napier, President of the SACBC, in a press statement. "We are convinced that oil is at once a major cause of the war and a means used by Khartoum to increase its military capacity," he added. (Integrated Regional Information Networks [IRIN], in ZA Now/Daily Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 24 July 2001)

SMALL ARMS: Despite US Resistance, States Agree On Pact - Officials from more than 140 countries reached agreement Saturday morning on the world's first voluntary pact to limit the illicit small arms trade, salvaging what had seemed to be a deadlock between the United States and other countries at the two-week UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. (UN Wire, 23 July 2001)

{···français} Coca-Cola accusé d'assassinat syndical: «Une campagne de terreur» dénoncée en Colombie. (Fabrice Rousselot, Libération [France], 21-22 juillet 2001)

Coca-Cola sued over bottling plant 'terror campaign': Coca-Cola's bottling plants in Colombia used rightwing death squads to terrorise workers and prevent the organisation of unions, it was alleged in a Miami court yesterday. The US union United Steelworkers is suing Coca-Cola on behalf of the Colombian union Sinaltrainal for what the lawsuit describes as "the systematic intimidation, kidnapping, detention and murder" of workers in Colombian plants.  Coca-Cola denied any responsibility for the alleged atrocities yesterday, saying the company did not own the bottling plants, which operated under contract. (Julian Borger, Guardian [UK], 21 July 2001)

Diamonds are forever in Sierra Leone's Wild East: With a ban on diamond mining in Sierra Leone, announced 18 July, hopes abound that there will now be an end to violence. But the diamond trade is deeply entrenched and some doubt that the ban will work. A Gemini News Service correspondent reports from Kenema - in the heart of Sierra Leone's 'blood diamond' mining region. (Rod Mac-Johnson, Gemini News Service, 20-27 July 2001)

Coke sued over death squad claims: Trade union leaders in the United States have said they are suing the soft-drinks company Coca-Cola for allegedly hiring right-wing death squads to terrorise workers at its Colombian bottling plant. A spokesman for Coca-Cola in Atlanta said its Colombian bottling plants were run by business partners and denied any wrongdoing by the company. (BBC, 20 July 2001)

Colombian union suing Coca-Cola in death squad case: Coca-Cola Co.'s Colombian bottlers are working with death squads to kill, threaten and intimidate plant workers, a labor union charged in a federal lawsuit to be filed Friday in Miami.  Coca-Cola, which is named as a defendant, immediately dismissed the racketeering lawsuit, which claims two bottling companies have ties to right-wing paramilitary groups believed responsible for assassinations of union members. (Nick Rosen, Associated Press, in Miami Herald, 20 July 2001) 

{···español} Coca-Cola rechaza acusaciones sobre nexos con paramilitares: Voceros de la multinacional Coca Cola rechazaron ayer versiones que intentan asociar a la compañía con la contratación de paramilitares en Colombia.  El pronunciamiento se produjo luego de que el sindicato de trabajadores del acero y la Fundación para los Derechos Laborales anunciaran en Washington una demanda contra la multinacional por, supuestamente, acudir a grupos paramilitares para intimidar, secuestrar y asesinar a sindicalistas en Colombia. (El Tiempo [Colombia], 20 Julio 2001)

{···español} Demandan a Coca Cola por contratar a "paras":  La empresa norteamericana Coca-Cola recurre a agentes de seguridad paramilitares para asesinar, torturar y secuestrar a líderes sindicales de sus embotelladoras en Colombia, denunciaron ayer sindicatos y grupos de derechos laborales, que iniciarán una demanda judicial. (Agence France Presse, in El Colombiano [Colombia], 20 Julio 2001)

UN Conference on Small Arms on the brink of failure: Since the beginning of the conference on 9 July, an estimated 25,000 people worldwide will have been killed by small arms. But as negotiations enter their final hours there is no prospect of agreement on concrete steps to stop the slaughter. (Amnesty International and Oxfam International, 20 July 2001)

Criticism as overseas arms sales rise to $2.4bn: The value of Britain's arms sales overseas increased last year to £1.7bn ($2.4bn), sparking criticism of the government for allowing weapons sales to countries embroiled in conflicts and to states with poor human rights records. The Department of Trade and Industry approved licences for military exports to Angola, Colombia and Sri Lanka, which have internal conflicts. It also granted licences for Bahrain, Indonesia and Turkey, which have been criticised over their human rights records. (Andrew Parker, Financial Times, 20 July 2001)

news release by plaintiffs (including download for copy of the complaint): Coca-Cola (Coke) to be sued for human rights abuses in Colombia (United Steel Workers and International Labor Rights Fund, 19 July 2001)

Pipeline Repaired Despite Community Protest: A pipeline rupture in southeastern Nigeria that caused the spillage of 10,000 barrels of crude oil and forced two major refineries to shut down temporarily has been repaired despite opposition by affected communities, officials said on Tuesday. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 18 July 2001)

Rebels Reiterate Warning to Oil Companies [Sudan] (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 16 July 2001)

European Timber Trader Linked with Liberian Arms Trafficking: In an open letter sent to the DLH Group today in Denmark, environmental and human rights organizations called upon the company’s Chief Executive Officer to stop dealing with Liberian logging companies implicated by the United Nations in arms trafficking. (Greenpeace/Nepenthes/Global Witness, 16 July 2001)

SMALL ARMS: Different Approaches Advocated At UN Conference (UN Wire, 13 July 2001)

Plea for small arms curbs: A United Nations conference has heard an impassioned plea for weapons-producing countries to prevent light weapons falling into the hands of children. General Romeo Dallaire General Romeo Dallaire - Canada's representative at the conference on the small arms trade - said that child soldiers were becoming the dominant factors in wars in the developing world. (BBC News, 12 July 2001)

The Big Swoop On Small Arms: Unprecedented international attention is now being focused on the need to tackle the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. (Selby Makgotho, The Sowetan [Johannesburg], 11 July 2001)

Small Wars, Small Arms, Big Graft (Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2001)

Global Effort to Stem Flood of Small Arms (U.N. Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, in International Herald Tribune, 10 July 2001)

United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects - New York, 9-20 July, 2001 (United Nations)

When disaster strikes: What happens when a brand becomes tainted? The oil spills were bad enough, but Shell's reputation went belly up after it was implicated in human rights violations in Nigeria. John Vidal on how it went about revamping its image (John Vidal, Guardian [UK], 9 July 2001)

report: Human Rights Abuses with Small Arms: Illustrative cases from Amnesty International reports 2000 - 2001 - Thousands of people worldwide are killed every year by weapons categorized as ''small arms'' or ''light weapons'' — handguns, assault rifles, sub-machine and machine-guns, grenades, mortars, shoulder-fired missiles and landmines. Many more are injured. Most of the victims are unarmed civilians who find themselves in the path of rival armies or criminal gangs. Transnational networks of brokers, dealers, financiers and transporters are the key players in small arms markets, yet most states do not even register them, let alone require each of their deals to be licenced. (Amnesty International, 9 July 2001)

Press Statement - U.N. Conference on Small Arms Trafficking, New York (Human Rights Watch, 9 July 2001)

Bush resists UN efforts to curb small firearms: The Bush administration rejected United Nations proposals to curb the illegal trade in small arms on Monday, saying the UN measures would restrict the legal use and manufacture of firearms. (Richard Wolffe and Andrew Parker, Financial Times, 9 July 2001)

Africa in the firing line: The United Nations is this week looking into how to limit the sale of small arms to Africa - and it comes not before time. A UN State Department document on arms proliferation in Africa is blunt: "It is far easier to buy a gun in Africa than to go to the movies, get a decent meal or a book." (Josephine Hazeley, BBC News, 9 July 2001)

Bush triggers fresh arms trade row: The US president, George Bush, is about to spark a transatlantic row over a UN conference which opens today aiming to reduce the 500m Kalashnikovs and other small arms contributing to worldwide carnage. Mr Bush has ordered the US delegation to the New York conference to block the main proposals because he fears inflaming the US gun lobby led by the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful vested interests in the country. (Ewen MacAskill, Guardian [UK], 9 July 2001)

The international dealers in death: The world is awash with guns - at least 550 million of them. An endless cheap supply of small arms has spawned an epidemic of killing. In a three-part series, Guardian writers hunt down the dealers, talk to the victims and ask what can be done to stop the trade. (Ian Traynor, Guardian [UK], 9 July 2001)

Colombia War Highlights Arms Trade: The smuggling operation showed how fueling a war in Colombia can be nearly as easy as stepping into a Miami gun shop.  Colombian arms dealers in the United States on tourist visas purchased assault rifles in Miami shops, packed them in bubble wrap and sent them home on cargo flights, listed as machinery parts. (Las Vegas Sun, 8 July 2001)

Protest Violence Against Embera Katio in Colombia! Following is an action alert issued by Amnesty Int'l on the recent murder of an indigenous activist fighting against the Urra Dam in Colombia. The Embera Katio community has faced kidnappings and attacks for its resistance to the project. (International Rivers Network, 6 July 2001)

Small arms seen as the real mass killers: Small arms and light weapons kill half a million people a year, making them the world's "real weapons of mass destruction", according to an independent study published yesterday, before a United Nations conference in New York next week. (Frances Williams, Financial Times, 6 July 2001)

A process to cut illicit trade of diamonds: Thirty-four countries approved a way to track gems. Rebels funding wars are targeted. (Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press, in Philadelphia Inquirer, 6 July 2001)

DIAMONDS: Kimberley Process Yields Gem Monitoring Agreement: Representatives from 34 countries approved yesterday in Moscow new measures to stop the illicit trade in diamonds, which is used to fuel conflicts in Africa. (UN Wire, 6 July 2001)

SUDAN: IRIN [Integrated Regional Information Networks] Focus on human rights: Human rights violations are increasing in Sudan, with abductions, arbitrary arrests and the forced displacement of people a daily reality, according to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Sudan, Gerhart Baum. (Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 3 July 2001)

Reluctant Missionaries: Can't shut down Big Oil? Then browbeat companies like Shell and ExxonMobil into preaching the gospel of human rights and democracy to their developing-world hosts. As appealing as this strategy seems to global do-gooders, it won't work. Not only are oil companies unsuited for the job of turning the world's most difficult neighborhoods into thriving market democracies, they're increasingly adept at passing the buck of reform to others (Marina Ottaway, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Co-Director of its Democracy and Rule of Law Project, in Foreign Policy, July-Aug. 2001)

Deadly Drilling in Aceh [lawsuit against ExxonMobil for the company's alleged conduct in Aceh, Indonesia] (Robert Weissman, Multinational Monitor, July/August 2001)

Let's Control the Small Arms Trade (Chris Patten [External Relations Commissioner, European Union] and Anna Lindh [Foreign Minister of Sweden], International Herald Tribune, 30 June 2001)

SUDAN: Human Rights Abuses Increasing, UN Official Says (UN Wire, 29 June 2001)

Small Arms Trade: Evolution of U.S. Policy on Small Arms (Center for Defense Information, 29 June 2001)

Liberian logging kills forests: Uncontrolled logging in Liberia is playing havoc with the country's rich forest resources and environment and helping President Charles Taylor's government to stay afloat despite UN sanctions. (South African Press Association / Agence France Presse, 27 June 2001)

comments by ExxonMobil: Statement Regarding NGO Human Rights Lawsuit [regarding the company's alleged conduct in Aceh, Indonesia] (ExxonMobil, 25 June 2001)

Exxon in human rights trouble: A US-based human rights group has filed a lawsuit against global oil giant Exxon Mobil in a federal court, accusing the company of complicity in human rights abuses carried out by the Indonesian military to secure natural gas fields. (Tom McCawley, Financial Times, 22 June 2001)

Exxon accused of rights abuses: Esso parent group cited in US case over Indonesian violations (Audrey Gillan, Guardian [UK], 22 June 2001)

Talisman is better off nurturing core assets: Calgary-based Talisman Energy's $529-million deal yesterday to buy Sweden's Lundin Oil could clear the way for the Canadian company to eventually extricate itself from war-torn Sudan (Brent Jang, The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 22 June 2001)

US Oil Giant [Exxon] Sued Over Human Rights Abuses in Indonesia (Abid Aslam, Inter Press Service, 21 June 2001)

Lundin deal gives Talisman way out of Sudan (Reuters, 21 June 2001)

ILRF [International Labor Rights Fund] sues Exxon Mobil [in United States court] on June 20, 2001 for human rights violations in Aceh [Indonesia] (International Labor Rights Fund, 20 June 2001)

Talisman investors get a big favour from U.S. politicians: It has taken Talisman Energy boss Jim Buckee a long time to realize what any experienced PR person could have told him. Some assets carry so much baggage they simply aren't worth the aggravation, no matter how lucrative they may be or how much potential they have. [Sudan] (Brian Milner, The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 20 June 2001)

Opposition grows to stock market sanctions act [Sudan Peace Act, passed by US House of Representatives]: US business groups and the Bush administration are gearing up to try to derail legislation that would for the first time deprive some foreign companies of access to US stock markets if they run foul of US foreign policy. (Edward Alden and Ken Warn, Financial Times, 19 June 2001)

Talisman says Sudan oil holdings not worth being banned in the U. S.: Talisman Energy said Monday its lucrative oil properties in war-torn Sudan are not worth the headaches of facing possible sanctions in the U.S., and president Jim Buckee hinted he's getting tired of controversial energy projects. (James Stevenson, Canadian Press, 18 June 2001)

Does oil fuel development in Sudan or just stoke the fires of war? (Andrew England, Associated Press, 17 June 2001)

Sudan rebel leader says foreign oil firms are "legitimate targets" (AFP, 17 June 2001)

Bill aimed at Talisman faces likely oblivion: 'We'll continue to do good work in Sudan' [A proposed law that would ban trading in the United States of Talisman Energy Corp. shares is still a long way from being approved by Congress and, even then, would likely be vetoed by George W. Bush, the U.S. President.  The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday night to prevent Talisman and other foreign companies engaged in the development of oil and gas in Sudan from selling securities in the U.S. market.] (Peter Morton and Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 15 June 2001)

Canadian firms get caught in world's hot spots (David Steinhart, Financial Post [Canada], 15 June 2001)

Following Violent Crackdown in Chad, Environmental Defense & Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights Call on World Bank to Rethink Funds for Chad Pipeline Project (Environmental Defense, 13 June 2001)

Oil Development in Nigeria: A critical investigation of Chevron Corporation's performance in the Niger River Delta (California Global Corporate Accountability Project, 11 June 2001)

Bougainville peace prospect leaves mine idle [Papua New Guinea] (Reuters, 6 June 2001)

Chadian NGOs claim WB [World Bank] loans [for Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline project] are risky for environment, democracy (Aditya Batra, Earth Times News Service, 4 June 2001)

FIREARMS: [UN] General Assembly Adopts Protocol To Crime Convention [providing that the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms, weapons parts and ammunition is a criminal act] (UN Wire, 1 June 2001)

Bush energy plan faulted for ignoring human rights [letter from Human Rights Watch to Vice President Dick Cheney] (Reuters, 31 May 2001) 

EU To Look At Oil Companies' Investments In Sudan [planned European Union fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights abuses] (Dow Jones, 30 May 2001)

Oil giants and humanitarian organisations clash in wartorn Sudan (Michel Sailhan, Agence France Presse, 29 May 2001)

DIAMONDS: US Bans Imports From Liberia (UN Wire, 25 May 2001)

DynCorp In Colombia: Outsourcing the Drug War (Jeremy Bigwood, CorpWatch, 23 May 2001)

Colombia: Private Firms Take on U.S. Military Role in Drug War (Juan O. Tamayo, Miami Herald, 22 May 2001)

Shell tries to block bomber fuel: Shell yesterday promised every effort to ensure that its aviation fuel would not be used in military aircraft launching bombing raids in southern Sudan. (Terry Macalister, Guardian [UK], 18 May 2001)

Sudan oil atrocities prove need for new regulation of business (Christian Aid, 17 May 2001)

Liberian Timber Profits Finance Regional Conflict: Recent Global Witness investigations have found that two individuals involved in the illicit arms and diamond trade to Sierra Leone, also hold high-ranking positions within the Liberian government body assigned to oversee Liberia’s million dollar timber industry. (Global Witness, 4 May 2001)

Sudan: Talisman Energy must do more to protect human rights (Amnesty International, 1 May 2001)

Corporate Options for Breaking Cycles of Conflict: When international corporations operate in zones of conflict, their operations inevitably affect and are affected by the conflict. (Mary B. Anderson and Luc Zandvliet, Corporate Engagement Project - Collaborative for Development Action, May 2001)

Behind the Central Kalimantan violence [Indonesia]: The appalling ethnic violence in Central Kalimantan is rooted in the decades-long violation of indigenous rights and the wholesale destruction of natural resources in the province...A major cause of the conflict between indigenous Dayaks and Madurese settlers - and other ethnic conflicts in Indonesia - has been the 'development' that the Suharto regime promoted for over thirty years. Natural resources, including Kalimantan's forests and minerals were handed out as concessions for a powerful business elite. The customary landowners - the indigenous Dayaks - were systematically denied their land and resource rights. They have had no recourse to legal action to defend their rights since, under Indonesian law, forests belong to the state. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Timber plantations: backing a loser [Indonesia] - Rather than rethink the whole approach to forest management, the government appears to be determined to continue with attempts to "reforest" degraded areas by continuing with the much-criticised programme of industrial timber estate (HTI) development launched during the Suharto era. The HTI programme, originally aimed at providing timber for the wood-processing and pulp industries, has led to protracted conflicts over land with local communities and increased deforestation - since the plantations were typically established on forested lands. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Oil palm investments opposed [Indonesia]: The government's plan to expand oil palm plantations could founder because it fails to address the underlying question of community rights to farmland and forests. Oil palm remains a central plank of Indonesia's economic recovery strategy despite growing social unrest arising from disputes over plantation land. Oil palm development is also widely accepted to be a major cause of forest loss in Indonesia, due to the policy of converting natural forests to plantations and because of the fires spread by the illegal practice of burning to clear plantation land. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Aceh: Exxon Mobil shuts down - In March the US-based oil company Exxon Mobil announced it was suspending operations at its Aceh oil and gas fields due to the deteriorating security situation. It is no coincidence that only days later, the Jakarta government announced it would step up military operations in the conflict-ridden territory. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Group 4 security company called in by Caltex in Riau [Indonesia]: The US-based oil company Caltex Pacific Indonesia [joint venture between Texaco and Chevron] has called in the international security firm, Group 4, to deal with problems at its conflict-ridden oil operations in Riau province, Sumatra...During the past months the company's operations have been hit by strikes, protests over land, employment and environmental impacts (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Canada's Military Exports: Fuelling wars and abusing international human/labor rights (The Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade [COAT], 25 Apr. 2001)

Diamonds of Death [regarding conflict diamonds and response by the industry and U.S. legislators] (Ken Silverstein, Nation, 23 Apr. 2001)

U'wa Tribal Chief Sends Message to Shareholders to Divest from Occidental Petroleum and Vows to Continue Resistance against Drilling in Colombia (Amazon Watch, Action Resource Center, and Rainforest Action Network, 20 Apr. 2001)

Oil companies are destroying my country: From an address given by the Sudanese clergyman Anthony Poggo to the Annual General Meeting of BP Amoco (Independent [UK], 20 Apr. 2001)

BP chief fields barrage of questions on ethics (Andrew Clark, Guardian [UK], 20 Apr. 2001)

US oil company [Occidental Petroleum] defies Colombia rebels (Julie Earle and Eoin Callan, Financial Times [UK], 17 Apr. 2001)

Open letter to Occidental Petroleum's President, Members of the Board of Directors and Shareholders [Colombia] (Asociación de Autoridades Tradicionales U'wa [U'wa people, Colombia], 16 Apr. 2001)

Talisman Issues Corporate Social Responsibility Report (Talisman Energy, 10 Apr. 2001)

Integrative Study on Issues Relating to Corporate Responsibility and the Role of Economic Agendas in Civil Conflict (Human Security and the International Diamond Trade in Africa program, Apr. 2001)

How Talisman oils peace [Sudan] (letter from Dave Mann, Talisman Energy Inc., in Guardian [UK], 30 Mar. 2001)

News Corp. Heir Woos China With Show of Support: James Murdoch gives speech backing the Asian nation's handling of Falun Gong and criticizing the West's coverage (Evelyn Iritani, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2001)

New drill for oil companies: It is not every day that seven giant oil and mining companies, nine human rights NGOs and corporate responsibility groups, and the American and British governments come together to ‘recognize that security and respect for human rights can and should be consistent.’ But that is exactly what happened on December 20, 2000 when the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were announced... (Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001)

Voluntary principles on security and human rights for the extractive sector: Bennett Freeman outlines the process of finding common ground and sets out the principles (Bennett Freeman [former Deputy Assistant Secretary - Democracy, Human Rights and Labour - U.S. State Department], in Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001)

How guns get to war zones - Techniques of clandestine arms delivery: Press briefing [United Nations 2001 Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects] (Amnesty International, BASIC, International Alert, Oxfam and Saferworld, 21 Mar. 2001)

Oil firms stoke up Sudan war (Victoria Brittain and Terry Macalister, Guardian, 15 Mar. 2001)

Boom time for few signals misery and death for many [Sudan] (Mark Curtis, Guardian, 15 Mar. 2001)

Christian Aid calls for 'immediate suspension' of oil operations in Sudan (Christian Aid, 13 Mar. 2001)

The scorched earth: oil and war in Sudan - An eyewitness report by Christian Aid (Christian Aid, 13 Mar. 2001)

Towards a common understanding of business complicity in human rights abuses: Background paper for the Global Compact dialogue on The role of the private sector in zones of conflict (Andrew Clapham and Scott Jerbi, 12 Mar. 2001)

British firms fan flames of war: Western cash is pouring into oilfields intensifying a bloody 18-year conflict [Sudan] (Julie Flint, Observer [UK], 11 Mar. 2001)

The Oil Diagnostic in Angola: An Update (Human Rights Watch, Mar. 2001)

SUDAN: WFP [World Food Programme] confirms displacement in oil drilling areas [U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 26 Feb. 2001)

U.S. civilians taking risks in Colombian drug war: Companies paid for missions military not allowed to perform (Juan O. Tamayo, Knight Ridder Newspapers, in Messenger-Inquirer [Kentucky, USA] 26 Feb. 2001)

Stopping the torture trade [report] (Amnesty International, 26 Feb. 2001)

ANGOLA: UN Asks Oil Companies To Help Bring Peace (UN Wire, 8 Feb. 2001)

Dying for oil: U'wa leader Roberto Pérez speaks about indigenous resistance to the Colombian oil rush (Camille T. Taiara, Bay Guardian [San Francisco], 7 Feb. 2001)

Nigeria: Oputa: Why Shell Can't Provide Amenities in Niger Delta - DEP MD [Nigeria] (Vanguard Daily (Lagos), 2 Feb. 2001, allAfrica.com) 

Sales to Chinese Police Questioned [Motorola sale of communications equipment to China's police] (Human Rights Watch, 1 Feb. 2001)

Reform, farmers and action in West Java [Indonesia]:...There has been a series of conflicts between the villagers, the authorities and companies at Tegalbuleud. The main cause of the conflicts over land, and the widespread poverty faced by Tegalbuleud villagers was the collaboration of government officials and entrepreneurs in exploiting the villages' natural resources. [refers to appropriation of land for coconut plantation, shrimp farming, logging] (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2001)

Tribal People in India Confront Alcan Investment: Three Die (MiningWatch Canada / Mines Alerte, 17 Jan. 2001)

Involving business in conflict resolution (Shoshana Bekerman, Earth Times News Service, 14 Jan. 2001)

Indorayon's Last Gasp? [Indonesia] - It looks as though the fate of PT Indorayon Inti Utama's controversial paper pulp and rayon fibre plant in North Sumatra has been sealed – less by the Wahid government than by thousands of local protestors...Why was Indorayon singled out among the plethora of cases in Indonesia where companies flout environmental regulations and violate local communities' rights? What message does Indorayon's closure send out to investors in other socially and environmentally damaging investments in Indonesia? (Frances Carr, Down to Earth, Nov. 2000, updated Jan. 2001)

Response to Criticisms of the 2000 CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] Report (Talisman Energy Inc., 2001)

The New Business of War: Small Arms and the Proliferation of Conflict (William Hartung, Ethics & International Affairs, vol. 15, no. 1, 2001)

Deciding Whether to do Business in States with Bad Governments (Margaret Jungk, Danish Centre for Human Rights/Confederation of Danish Industries/Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries, 2001)