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  Security issues / Conflict zones: General materials Sep.-Dec. 2001  

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

Sep.-Dec. 2001:

Colombia: an appalling death toll - with no sign of improvement - Nearly 160 trade unionists murdered since the beginning of the year (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 21 Dec. 2001)

CONGO: Security Council Condemns Continued Resource Plundering (UN Wire, 21 Dec. 2001)

UN Worried At Illicit Diamond Trade: The U.N. Security Council says it is still concerned over the role of illicit diamonds in the conflict in Sierra Leone. (Business Day [South Africa], 20 Dec. 2001)

Key points related to Sudan and oil: The purpose of this WOA [Washington Office on Africa] document is not to analyze the oil situation extensively...but is rather to highlight key points in the evolution of this issue and its relation to decisions about US investments. (The Washington Office on Africa, 17 Dec. 2001)

CONGO: Security Council Debates Action Against Resource Exploitation - The panel [Expert Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] continues to support a moratorium on the purchase and import of coltan, diamonds, copper, timber, coffee and other products produced in D.R.C. territory occupied by rebels or foreign troops. (UN Wire, 17 Dec. 2001)

International Human Rights Day:...The most dangerous country of all for trade unionists however is Colombia...Elsewhere in the world, trade unionists are also facing death or imprisonment and harassment, notably in Guatemala, where death threats are on the increase, South Korea, where strikers are systematically imprisoned, Indonesia, where union activity is regularly repressed, or China, where those who try to collectively organise are sent to psychiatric hospitals or forced labour camps and Zimbabwe where intimidation is mounting in an increasingly tense situation. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Dec. 2001)

Colombian Admits Killing Unionist: A right-wing paramilitary militia on Saturday accused a slain union leader in Colombia of being a rebel commander and accepted responsibility for his killing. The body of Aury Sara, a regional leader of a militant oil workers union, and his bodyguard were found Wednesday (AP, 8 Dec. 2001)

ANGOLA: WFP Tells Gov't To Contribute More, Rebuild Airports, Roads -  The World Food Program yesterday called on Angola to step up its contribution to humanitarian aid programs that are expected next year to benefit 4 million Angolans who have left their homes fleeing civil conflict..."We hope there will be a more significant contribution by the government. ... We think it's in a position to do more," WFP regional director for Central Africa Holdbrook Arthur said of the oil-rich state. (UN Wire, 7 Dec. 2001)

Firms mull anti-poverty role:...Long-term investors in emerging markets increasingly find that they have a role to play in times of war, refugee crises or humanitarian disasters. (BBC News, 6 Dec. 2001)

Colombia: the massacre continues - In a letter sent on December 6 to Colombian President Andrès Pastrana, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) condemned in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Aury Sara Marrugo, President of the Bolivar-based trade union, ‘Union Sindical Obrera’ (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 6 Dec. 2001)

SUDAN: Khartoum against UN draft on human rights - The Sudanese government has expressed its opposition to a draft resolution on human rights adopted by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee last week, saying the text was biased in favour of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A)...The draft text highlighted the occurrence of extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, the use of civilian premises for military purposes and the forced displacement of populations living around the oilfields. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 6 Dec. 2001)

At least 100 killed in Colombia fighting:...the body of Auy Sara Marrugo, leader of Colombia's oil workers union, and his bodyguard were discovered Wednesday in Bolivar province, union officials said. (AFP, 6 Dec. 2001)

Lundin Exits Talisman Sudan Stake Talks; Pressure Mounts: Swedish oil junior Lundin Petroleum AB Wednesday ruled itself out of acquiring part or all of Talisman Energy Inc.'s 25% stake in the politically controversial Greater Nile oil project in Sudan. (Michael Wang, Dow Jones, 5 Dec. 2001)

Feast or Famine: A report documenting conflicts and abuses of vital fishing grounds in Cambodia [Conflicts are arising as local peoples' traditional rights to fish are usurped by commercial fishing companies that are being granted almost exclusive access to harvest fish on some of the richest wetland sites across the country] (Environmental Justice Foundation, Dec. 2001)

'Conflict diamonds' evade UN sanctions: Improvements in Sierra Leone, but continuing violations in Angola and Liberia - Diamonds and other natural resources are continuing to finance armed conflicts in Angola and the Mano River Union states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea despite improved enforcement and monitoring of UN arms and diamond sanctions (Michael Fleshman, Africa Recovery [U.N. Department of Public Information], Dec. 2001)

Litigation Update: A Summary of Recent Developments in U.S. Cases Brought Under the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Protection Act [includes updates on lawsuits against Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil and Talisman Energy] (Jennifer Green [staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights] and Paul Hoffman [civil rights attorney and editor of ACLU International Civil Liberties Report], in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Recent ILRF [International Labor Rights Fund] Cases to Enforce Human Rights Under the ATCA [includes reference to human rights-related cases against Unocal, ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, DynCorp] (Terry Collingsworth, Executive Director of International Labor Rights Fund, in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Shut up or die! Crude repression has turned into a brutal attempt to exterminate trade unions altogether in Colombia. (Mónica del Pilar Uribe, New Internationalist, Dec. 2001)

Growing in Unity: Against all the odds, the unions in Latin America’s banana plantations are showing what ‘sustainable development’ might really mean...In the last three years union leaders and others associated with the banana workers’ campaigns for justice have been killed in Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and the Philippines. (Alistair Smith, New Internationalist, Dec. 2001)

Can Controls Work? A Review of the Angolan Diamond Control System (Global Witness, Dec. 2001)

Working in a Changing World: A New Approach to Risk Mitigation in Zones of Conflict [practical advice for companies operating in conflict zones] ( Corporate Engagement Project - Collaborative for Development Action, Dec. 2001)

Talisman prepares to disengage in Sudan: A Canadian energy firm is preparing to disengage from Sudan amid heightened fighting in the war-torn south. (MENL, 30 Nov. 2001)

DIAMONDS: Governments, Industries Agree To Certification Plan - Government representatives and industry officials from dozens of countries agreed yesterday...to implement a process to certify all legally traded diamonds and to weed out the conflict diamonds sold to fuel wars in Africa...The agreement concludes more than a year of talks referred to as the "Kimberley Process" (UN Wire, 30 Nov. 2001)

DIAMONDS: U.S. House Votes To Combat Sale Of Blood Diamonds - The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted to give President George W. Bush authority to place trade sanctions on countries that sell diamonds to finance war or terrorism, a move advocates say will help prevent the trade in so-called blood diamonds. (UN Wire, 29 Nov. 2001)

Kimberley Process Delegates Reach Tentative Agreement: Participants at the plenary meeting of the Kimberley Process...reached consensus on a tentative agreement to help stem the trade of conflict diamonds. (RapNews, on Diamonds.net, 29 Nov. 2001)

Diamond Diplomacy:...Diamond buyers have long known that the proceeds from some stones finance wars, but the industry paid little attention to the provenance of its purchases until 1998, when the British organization Global Witness exposed the practice...widespread backing for tough measures to limit the sale of tainted diamonds. It is regrettable that the Bush administration is not joining in. (editorial, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2001)

RUF Rebels Introduces Forced Labour in Diamond Mining Town [Sierra Leone] (Osman Benk Sankoh, Concord Times [Sierra Leone], 27 Nov. 2001)

'Diamonds disrupt disarmament': Sierra Leonean rebels and loyalist militiamen eager to fill their pockets with diamonds are stalling a disarmament programme to end a brutal 10-year civil war, UN military officials have said. (Christo Johnson, Reuters, in News24 [South Africa], 26 Nov. 2001)

It's the real thing—murders at Coke [Colombia: regarding the case brought in U.S. court alleging Coca Cola, Panamerican Beverages & Bebidas y Alimentos were complicit in the assassination of Colombian union leaders] (David Bacon, Labor Advocate Online, 24 Nov. 2001)

UN Group Urges Ban On Imports From Congo [Democratic Republic of Congo]: A new U.N. report calls for a temporary ban on the purchase of minerals, timber and coffee from parts of Congo occupied by foreign armies, saying the unabated plundering of resources is prolonging a three-year civil war in the Central African country. (Karl Vick, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2001)

CENTRAL AFRICA: Belgium investigating exploitation of DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo ] resources: A Belgian commission of inquiry on the Great Lakes convened on Friday in Brussels to investigate alleged involvement of Belgian and non-Belgian companies in the illegal trade of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and to explore measures to halt such activities from fueling war in the region. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 23 Nov. 2001)

SUDAN: US pressure group urges tough line on Khartoum -...The campaigners [a coalition of more than 100 religious and civil rights leaders in the United States] particularly criticised Bush for having apparently prevailed upon the US Congress to put aside any work on the Sudan Peace Act, which passed the House of Representatives and had terms which would have allowed for foreign oil companies doing business in Sudan to be barred from selling shares and other securities in the United States. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 23 Nov. 2001)

Sudan: the other (and forgotten) religious war:...the regime [the Sudan Government] has been driving villagers from their land in the oil-rich provinces of southern Sudan, and oil revenues are being diverted to re-equip the army and air force. In the past two years, the military budget has doubled to $4 million a day, in a nation where 96 per cent of non-Arabs live in poverty. "The oil companies, like it or not, are aiding and abetting genocide," says Deng [Telar Deng, chairman of the South Sudan Law Society and a senior figure in the Episcopal Church of Sudan], who argues that the oil revenues have helped fund bombing missions against civilian targets in the south. (Tony Parkinson, The Age [Australia], 22 Nov. 2001)

Austria's OMV eyes Talisman's Sudan assets-source: Austrian oil and gas group OMV is preparing a bid for Canadian oil producer Talisman Energy Inc's assets in Sudan, a source close to the deal said on Thursday. Talisman has been under severe pressure to sell its 25-percent interest in the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co., a stake estimated to be worth about C$1 billion ($635 million), because human rights groups say that oil money is fuelling an 18-year civil war in Sudan. (Barbara Lewis, Reuters, 22 Nov. 2001)

LIBERIA: Government probes suspected violation on UN diamond ban (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 22 Nov. 2001)

Sudanese rebels say they kill 100 government soldiers in oil zone:...The SPLA renewed its warning that "oil regions are legitimate military targets and urged oil companies to withdraw from them," it said. "Oil revenues are not being used to improve the standard of living of the Sudanese people but to finance the war machine" of the Sudanese government, the SPLA said. (AFP, 20 Nov. 2001)

DR Congo 'looters' condemned: A number of African countries are perpetuating the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, so they can illegally exploit the country's mineral and other resources, says a UN report...with government influence weak the opportunity to exploit these resources has been readily taken up by what the UN report calls "unscrupulous elements operating under the garb of various governments, businesses, mafias and individuals" (BBC News, 20 Nov. 2001)

CONGO: U.N. Panel Accuses Gov't, Rebels, Neighbors Of Exploitation - Assigning blame to individuals, institutions, rebels and governments for the continued exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's natural resources, the U.N. panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the D.R.C. yesterday presented its findings to the U.N. Security Council...To attempt to stem the trade in diamonds, gold, copper, coltan, timber and other resources, the panel is calling for a moratorium on their purchase and import from the D.R.C. (UN Wire, 20 Nov. 2001)

U.S. closer to lifting Talisman listing: U.S. legislation that would strip Talisman Energy Inc. of its New York Stock Exchange listing over its investment in Sudan has moved a step closer to reality. The House of Representatives approved a motion yesterday to open talks with the Senate to resolve conflicting anti-Sudan bills passed by the two bodies. (Barrie McKenna, Globe and Mail [Canada], 16 Nov. 2001)

Delegates Call for Strict Monitoring of Sierra Leone Mining:  Delegates attending a three-day national consultative conference in Sierra Leone called for a stricter monitoring of the mining sector where the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels have used conflict diamonds to finance its civil war. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 16 Nov. 2001)

U.S. House Resumes Action on Sudan Legislation Opposed by Bush: Legislation to bar oil companies operating in Sudan from participating in U.S. financial markets is again before Congress, two months after being delayed as the U.S. sought Sudan's help in fighting terrorism...The measure would deny companies such as Canada's Talisman Energy Inc. and its Lundin Oil AB unit in Sweden access to U.S. capital markets because they do business in Sudan. (Bloomberg, 15 Nov. 2001)

HRD Refutes Washington Post Accusations of Ties to Al-Qaida: The Diamond High Council (HRD) claims that there is a lack of hard evidence for the accusations in a November 2 Washington Post article that claims people with ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network sold illicit diamonds from Sierra Leone to Belgium and other European markets through a safe house in Liberia. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 15 Nov. 2001)

Greenpeace exposes scandal of African rainforest destruction and demands governments to act now: Undercover investigations by Greenpeace have discovered that wood products coming from logging companies operating in a destructive and illegal way in West Africa are flooding European ports. These investigations have recently uncovered logs and timber from two companies in particular, which have some of the worst environmental and human rights records of any logging company in the world. These two companies, the Oriental Timber Corporation (OTC) and Société Forestère Hazim (SFH), are actively logging in Liberia and Cameroon respectively. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recently reported OTC's involvement in illegal arms-smuggling to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in neighbouring war-torn Sierra Leone. SFH has been found guilty for repeatedly logging outside legally defined areas by the Cameroon government, and has been involved in serious social conflicts with forest dwelling communities there. Both companies have repeatedly operated with flagrant disregard for national forestry law, and for the social and environmental impact of their operations. (Greenpeace, 14 Nov. 2001)

SUDAN: IRIN Focus on human rights - The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Gerhart Baum, last week presented his latest report to the UN General Assembly...Baum told the General Assembly that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan, now living in camps, had fled from oil regions of the country, yet did not benefit from oil revenues...Relevant sources agreed that the exploitation of oil reserves had led to "a worsening of the conflict, which has also turned into a war for oil", he added. No matter what oil companies did in terms of providing social services in the areas in which they operated, they would continue to face international criticism by doing business in Sudan until military warfare ended there, he said. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network,14 Nov. 2001)

UNDP to help developing countries enhance human security and strengthen rule of law (U.N. Development Programme, 13 Nov. 2001)

SUDAN: Special Rapporteur queries use of oil revenues - Gerhart Baum, the [United Nations] Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Sudan, called for documentation to verify how the Sudanese government uses its oil revenues in a report discussed yesterday at the UN General Assembly. "Oil exploitation has continued to have a negative impact on the human rights situation," Baum told delegates in New York yesterday. "There is no concrete evidence of oil revenues being spent for the development of the south, in spite of the fact that 40% of the national budget comes from oil." (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 9 Nov. 2001)

RIGHTS: Canadian Oil Firm Sued In U.S. Court Over Sudan Dealings - An anti-slavery group has filed suit in U.S. court against the largest foreign investor in Sudan's oil sector. The move follows years of campaigning to force Western oil companies out of the country. The target of the litigation is Canada-based Talisman Energy Co., Inc. The company strongly denied all charges. (InterPress Service, 9 Nov. 2001)

Talisman disputes charges of 'ethnic cleansing' in Sudan U.S. lawsuit launched: Talisman Energy Inc. said it "strongly disputes" allegations made in a class-action lawsuit filed yesterday in the United States that seeks substantial compensation for victims of the Sudan civil war. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 9 Nov. 2001)

Talisman faces suit over Sudan: A US anti-slavery group yesterday filed a Dollars 1bn (Pounds 600m) lawsuit against Talisman, the Canadian oil company, alleging its operations in Sudan have contributed to an ethnic cleansing campaign against civilians in the country's south. The class action suit, led by a southern Sudanese church leader, also seeks an injunction to prevent Talisman from continuing to co-operate with the Sudanese government, which has been involved in a 20-year war with southern rebels. (Edward Alden & Ken Warn, Financial Times, 9 Nov. 2001)

Suit filed in U.S. against Talisman - Sudan class action disappoints firm - Talisman Energy Inc. is "disappointed" about a class-action lawsuit filed in the United States against the company yesterday alleging complicity in human rights abuses in Sudan, a spokesman for the company said. "Obviously, Talisman believes in and respects human rights of all individuals around the world, so we're disappointed to learn of this action," said David Mann, the company's manager of investor relations. "We believe we have actively promoted transparency, respect for human rights and an end to the civil war in Sudan." (Lily Nguyen, Globe & Mail [Canada], 9 Nov. 2001) 

U.S. Congress Moves on Conflict Diamonds Legislation: Responding to a Washington Post article’s disclosure of Osama bin Laden’s ties to conflict diamonds, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio) and Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) held a press conference on November 8 to urge immediate action on the conflict diamonds legislation pending in Congress. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 8 Nov. 2001)

Progress Made at Kimberley Process Meeting in Luanda [regarding conflict diamonds] (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 8 Nov. 2001)

Mexican lawyer's death seen tied to logging fight: The killing last month of top Mexican rights lawyer Digna Ochoa is probably linked to a fierce battle between loggers and ecologists in the western state of Guerrero, Mexico City Prosecutor Bernardo Batiz said this week. (Reuters, 8 Nov. 2001)

Antislavery group to sue Talisman oil for $1 bln: A director of a U.S. antislavery group plans to file a $1-billion class action lawsuit against Talisman Energy Inc., alleging the Canadian oil company participated in human rights abuses in Sudan...The American Anti-Slavery Group said in a statement the suit, scheduled to be filed on Thursday, charges Talisman "with violations of international law for participating in the ethnic cleansing of black and non-Muslim minorities in southern Sudan."...The suit charges that: "Talisman, in an effort to protect its oil fields in Sudan, aided and abetted the fundamentalist Islamic government in its ongoing and self-proclaimed 'jihad' -- a campaign that has resulted in massive civilian displacement; the burning of villages, churches and crops; and the murder and enslavement of innocent civilians" (Reuters, 7 Nov. 2001)

'Blood Diamonds' Fund More Than Terrorism:..."Blood diamonds" provide the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone with between $25 million and $125 million per year. They not only financed the RUF's war; they continue to be a major impediment to the establishment of lasting peace in that country and throughout the West African region, despite the continuing efforts of the United Nations. (letter to the editor, from Jake Sherman, Program Officer in the Economic Agendas in Civil Wars Project of the International Peace Academy, in Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2001)

Blood On the Diamonds:...Eighteen months ago the government of South Africa convened representatives of 38 diamond-producing and trading nations, human rights activists and diamond industry representatives, in Kimberley, South Africa, to develop a comprehensive trade system to eliminate conflict gems from the legitimate diamond trade...Unfortunately, the world's largest importer of diamond jewelry, the United States, has stalled, criticized and equivocated throughout negotiations, leaving to others the arduous task of negotiating the complicated system of controls. (Holly Burkhalter, Advocacy Director of Physicians for Human Rights, in Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2001)

De Beers and JA Respond to Al-Qaida Tie to Conflict Diamonds: De Beers and Jewelers of America (JA) issued separate statements on November 6 responding to a Washington Post report that suggested that the al-Qaida terrorist network was profiting from the trade of conflict diamonds. Both De Beers and JA urged swift passage of the Clean Diamonds Trade Act and a conclusion to the Kimberley Process. What follows are the statements issued by the two parties (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 6 Nov. 2001)

Open Letter [from Global Witness] to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan Regarding Liberia: It is with grave concern that we watch developments within the United Nations on the issue of Liberia. The international community has powerful and extensive information showing that Liberia's timber industry is heavily involved in the illicit trade of arms, while simultaneously providing large sums of extra-budgetary income to the Liberian government - a government that is supporting the notoriously brutal RUF rebels in Sierra Leone and is involved in the provision of funds to the terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden. These facts are well publicized, yet the UN seems to be moving in a dangerous if not neglectful direction in regards to this situation. (Global Witness, 5 Nov. 2001)

Liberia: U.N. Arms Embargo Failing - Weak Export Controls Largely to Blame - The United Nations Security Council must enforce the international arms embargo on Liberia, Human Rights Watch said today...The new U.N. report, which presents detailed information and documentary evidence, reveals that the weapons shipped illegally to Liberia-comprising ammunition, small arms, and helicopter spare parts-came from Ukraine, Slovakia, and Kyrgyzstan, respectively...All of the weapons were sold on the basis of counterfeit documents provided by arms brokers. (Human Rights Watch, 5 Nov. 2001)

SMALL ARMS: Rocard To Quit Eminent Persons Group - Amid ongoing controversy over how to proceed in seeking international measures on the traceability of small arms, Michel Rocard, a former French prime minister and the senior co-chairman of the Eminent Persons Group on small arms, is set to resign from the group today, according to a document obtained by UN Wire...Paris is sabotaging the small arms tracing process in the interest of French arms deals, the source alleged, by pushing for a binding instrument everyone knows would be impossible to secure. (UN Wire, 5 Nov. 2001)

Where giants may tread, rumblings will follow: The destructive - and dangerous - behaviour of Australian mining companies overseas should be controlled by law, writes Geoff Evans. (Geoff Evans, Director of the Mineral Policy Institute, in Sydney Morning Herald, 2 Nov. 2001)

U.S. Probes Saudi Conglomerate For Links to Islamic Militants: The U.S. is examining connections between a leading Saudi Arabian financial conglomerate and Islamic militant groups, including the al Qaeda terrorist network. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials say they have information linking the Dallah al Baraka Group to transactions by al Qaeda and other extremist groups. (Glenn R. Simpson & Rick Wartzman, Wall Street Journal, 2 Nov. 2001)

Controls in sight for diamond trade: Countries involved in the diamond trade have ended a round of talks on introducing an international certification scheme for rough diamonds...A major fear for the industry is a consumer backlash if customers begin to associate diamonds with bloodshed in Africa, the world's poorest continent. (BBC News, 2 Nov. 2001)

Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade: Sale of Gems From Sierra Leone Rebels Raised Millions, Sources Say - The terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden has reaped millions of dollars in the past three years from the illicit sale of diamonds mined by rebels in Sierra Leone, according to U.S. and European intelligence officials and two sources with direct knowledge of events. (Douglas Farah, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2001)

Merton Company Limited [China] - Products: McDonalds, Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Warner, Paramount, Franklin Mint and DC Comics Factory - Workers work 12.5 hours per day...There is no overtime pay...After all kinds of deductions, the average salary per hour is 13 cents. Many workers have to work 120 days consecutively before getting one day off...To fight for their rights, the workers have organized strikes, tried to form an independent union, and often confronted the factory. In one of such incidents, the local authority sent several hundred armed police to crack down, more than 50 workers were arrested. (Li Qiang, China Labor Watch, Nov. 2001)

Court orders Freeport to clean up its act [West Papua]: WALHI, Indonesia's leading environmental organisation, has scored a landmark victory in its court case against copper and gold miners PT Freeport Indonesia [Freeport, which denies the charges, will appeal.]  Meanwhile, militarisation is being intensified at the mine, as the Indonesian security forces pledge to protect it from alleged threats from "separatist groups". (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

A Tip for Wall Street: Don't Help the Bad Guys - In 1998, Trillium Asset Management Corporation (TAMC) attended a shareholder meeting at California-based Unocal Corporation. TAMC was protesting a gas pipeline deal that would have put millions of dollars into the hands of a regime that oppressed women and ethnic minorities, sponsored the opium trade, and had connections to terrorists. The proposed partner was Afghanistan's fledgling Taliban regime. (Blaine Townsend, Trillium Asset Management, in Investing for a Better World, Nov. 2001)

Disagreement on UN Sanctions Against Liberia:...While a panel of UN experts earlier this month said further sanctions against Liberia would have more "negative impacts" on the country's economy, another expert panel yesterday recommended to extend the sanctions...With yesterday's recommendations to impose a ban on all round log exports from Liberia starting from July 2002, the UN Security Council thus finds itself in the difficult position of choosing between effectively hurting the Liberian elite but at the same time worsening the humanitarian situation in Liberia or taking the livelihood of Liberian civilians into consideration but probably prolonging the Taylor dictatorships life expectancy. (afrol News, 31 Oct. 2001)

The Paradox of Poverty and Corporate Globalisation [refers to Shell's environmental and human rights impact on Ogoni community in Nigeria] (Owens Wiwa, Executive Director of AFRIDA - African Environmental and Human Development Agency and brother of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, speech to International Conference on Globalisation, 30 Oct. 2001)

LIBERIA: U.N. Experts Submit Recommendations On Monitoring Measures - A U.N. panel of experts yesterday recommended installing tighter controls on Liberian "flag of convenience" shipping revenues, maintaining sanctions on conflict diamonds and an arms embargo and placing new sanctions on certain types of logging, but lifting the flight ban on Liberian-registered flights, the South African Press Association reports. (UN Wire, 30 Oct. 2001)

No comment from Talisman on report of possible exit from Sudan: Canadian oil company Talisman Energy refused to comment Monday on a newspaper report in Sudan it intends to liquidate its activities in the East African nation...Talisman president Jim Bukee said in June his company would continue its operations in Sudan, despite calls from western human rights organisations to withdraw. (AFP, 29 Oct. 2001)

Western Sahara - Protests against "illegal" oil exploration off Western Sahara: With the signing of two large contracts last week between international oil companies [Kerr McGee and TotalFinaElf] and the Moroccan government to explore promising oil fields off the coast of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara increases, international protests are being voiced...Richard Stanforth, spokesperson of the Western Sahara Campaign UK, however comments that in signing the contracts the companies are "trampling over the basic Human Rights of the Sahrawi people. The contracts are an attempt to legitimise the brutal Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara" "Most Sahrawi people from Western Sahara are languishing in refugee camps struggling to survive. They will not see a penny of this money. All this money will go to help Morocco build up its army in Western Sahara."...According to information gathered by UK Western Sahara Campaign, previous attempts to explore Western Sahara oil resources have all been abandoned due to the political risks. (afrol News, 28 Oct. 2001)

Talisman rumoured in talks with Lundin over Sudan assets: Shares of Talisman Energy Inc. rose 5.6% yesterday on speculation the Canadian oil and gas producer is in talks to sell its controversial Sudanese oil assets to Sweden-based Lundin Petroleum AB...Talisman's oil development in Sudan has been heavily criticized by church and non-governmental organizations, who say it fuels a civil war between the Muslim central government and black African, predominantly Christian or animist southerners. (Carol Howes, Financial Post [Canada], 27 Oct. 2001)

Shell passes the buck in Nigeria: This week Shell announced that it is suing six Nigerian youths accused of occupying a Shell oil flow station in the Niger Delta on 27th September. The case, set to begin in court next week, has astounded oil campaigners...Shell’s own stated aim demonstrates the company’s lack of irony; a spokesman in London said last week, ‘We are the victim of frequent acts of vandalism and sabotage which is dangerous to human life and damages the environment. We have decided to take civil action against the individuals responsible for the acts of sabotage to send a signal that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.’ Inhabitants of the Niger Delta have their own view of who is responsible for acts which are ‘dangerous to human life and damage the environment’ – the death and destruction resulting from Shell’s activities in the region and their use of the Nigerian military are well-documented. (Corporate Watch, 26 Oct. 2001)

Talisman jumps on Sudan sale speculation: Talisman Energy Inc. shares jumped nearly 6 percent on Friday on speculation it could sell its stake in war-torn Sudan's biggest oil project to Sweden's Lundin Petroleum AB...Talisman, which also operates in Canada, the North Sea and Indonesia, has been the target of sharp criticism from some church and human rights groups, as well as from the U.S. government, for its presence in the African country, where a civil war has raged for the past 18 years. (Jeffrey Jones, Reuters, 26 Oct. 2001)

UN misconceptions over Liberian timber sanctions threaten regional security:...The recent report of UN Secretary-General concerning the humanitarian impact of imposing sanctions on Liberia's timber exports is seriously flawed by inaccuracies which overstate timber related jobs by 100%, and related dependents by many times that. In addition, the October 2001 report of the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia, whilst confirming the continued links between the timber industry and arms trafficking, has made two recommendations related to the timber industry. Neither of these recommendations addresses the timber/arms links, and one will promote a logging frenzy. (Global Witness, 25 Oct. 2001)

UN reports undermine its own stance on Liberia:...Given that timber industry and resultant revenue is essential to the Taylor regime, that it continues to be linked to the arms trade and to the maintenance of armed militias, that timber revenues do not benefit the Liberian population as a whole and that the damage to the country's forests is irreparable, the argument for sanctions is strong. However, the recommendations of the UN Expert panel on Liberia relating to timber, if adopted, will have a severely detrimental effect, whilst failing to address the key issues the Panel was established to address. (Global Witness, 25 Oct. 2001)

Hermes denies supplying weapons to Sudan: Slovak arms exporter Hermes has never had dealings in Sudan, the company's director, Dusan Herda, told TASR news agency on Wednesday. He was responding to an article published in German daily Handelsblatt on Monday. It was alleged that Hermes, based in Dubnica nad Vahom near Trencin, in 1998 rerouted an export of explosives bound for Chad, to Sudan, a country subject to US and European Union sanctions and suspected of being a base for Usamah Bin-Ladin's terrorist network. Herda says Hermes had a licence to export the explosives to Chad but delivered the goods to the customer at Bratislava airport. "Our obligations towards the customer ended by the act of handing over the goods at the airport. We do not know anything about the alleged transport," he said. Herda would not specify which African countries Hermes has traded with since 1998, saying it was a business secret, but he stressed that all dealings have been in compliance with the law. (TASR-Slovakia [News Agency of Slovak Republic], 24 Oct. 2001)

LIBERIA: U.S. Shipping Registry Funded Arms Purchases, U.N. Says - The Liberian Corporate & Maritime Shipping Registry, based in Tysons Corner, Va. [Virginia], helped fund weapons purchases by Liberian President Charles Taylor in violation of a U.N. embargo, according to the U.N. sanctions committee on Liberia, which will release a new 135-page report tomorrow. The U.S.-owned and -run registry, the world's second largest, is Liberia's largest source of income. Last year, it made four payments into nongovernmental accounts -- payments cited in the report as going to arms and transportation "in violation of the sanctions." Registry Chief Executive Yoram Cohen said the registry "never knowingly made a payment to an arms dealer," adding, "It's not our job to conduct any due diligence as to whom we pay money -- it's the government's money." (UN Wire, 24 Oct. 2001)

Conflict Diamonds And the Global Fight (Lansana Gberiea, Research Associate of Partnership Africa Canada, in Concord Times [Sierra Leone], 23 Oct. 2001)

Russia republic, Sudan seek deals on arms, oil - New wealth could tip long African civil war:...A delegation led by the Sudanese external trade minister, Abdel Hamid Mussa Kasha, was in the autonomous Volga River republic of Tatarstan over the weekend, talking oil with the Tatneft company and checking out Mi-17 helicopters, optical sighting devices, trucks and passenger planes...Sudan has extensive oil fields, which happen to lie on the front lines between the northern and southern forces. One joint venture has already gone to work there, a consortium of three companies: Talisman of Canada, Petronas of Malaysia and the China National Petroleum Corp. Since pumping began in August, the consortium has been producing about 220,000 barrels a day -- not much by international standards, but enough to double Sudan's military spending. That, plus the lure of a lot more oil, has caught the attention of the authorities in Tatarstan...One factor that has kept Sudan from crushing its rebels has been the country's extreme poverty. There were reports that crewmen tossed bombs out of planes by hand, without much expectation of accuracy. But the prospect of oil money could tip the balance; what was once a fight over the attempted Islamization of the largely Christian south has now become a fight over access to oil fields. With precision optical sights from the Kazan Optic Mechanical Factory, the advantage could soon lie with the Arabic north. (Will Englund, SunSpot [Maryland, USA], 23 Oct. 2001)

SUDAN: SPLM/A aims to shut down oilfields - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) said on Tuesday that it aimed to shut down all the oilfields run with government backing in southern Sudan. "We are doing all we can to stop the flow of oil to the north," George Garang, a rebel spokesman, told IRIN. "We want to make the oil companies go away."...The SPLM/A would "probably support" independent human rights monitoring in the oil region, George Garang told IRIN on Tuesday. "Such a commission would show there has been massive displacement of people, and [that] the government has been committing human rights abuses, but we know the Sudanese government would never allow it," he said. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 23 Oct. 2001)

Conflict prevention must be the business of business leaders:..The IBLF [International Business Leaders Forum], in conjunction with International Alert and Social Accountability International, produced a unique publication 'The Business of Peace'. It considers the role of the private sector as a partner in conflict prevention and resolution, (and is in increasing demand as threats of regional conflict and global tension have risen in recent weeks). It charts the case and management practice for business engagement in the three stages - conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction. (Robert Davies, Chief Executive of The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum [IBLF], in Responsible business in the global economy: A Financial Times Guide, 23 Oct. 2001)

Shell sues Nigerian villages: Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil company, is suing two villages in Nigeria for alleged damage to equipment during an attack by militant youths in September. (Sola Odunfa, BBC News, 22 Oct. 2001)

Government, oil company officials rebuff Sudanese rebel claims of major fighting, government losses: Government and oil company officials in Sudan on Monday rebuffed claims by the Sudan People's Liberation Army that the rebels had attacked oil-fields in southern Sudan, causing heavy losses to government forces guarding them. (Andrew England, Associated Press, 22 Oct. 2001)

Oil companies linked with counterinsurgency: International oil companies in Sudan are "knowingly or unknowingly" involved in a government counterinsurgency strategy in the country, according to the report of an independent fact-finding mission released this week. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 19 Oct. 2001)

{···français} Elf est poursuivie pour son soutien au président congolais Sassou Nguesso [Republic of Congo]: Une plainte a été déposée à Bruxelles pour complicité de crimes - La société TotalFinaElf est citée au côté de l'ancien président du Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou Nguesso dans une plainte pour "crimes contre l'humanité" commis pendant la guerre civile de 1997 [download under heading Total Fina Elf (II)] (Le Monde, 18 Oct. 2001)

Diamond industry still funding Angolan civil war - What is it good for? The latest and possibly most damning report to date by the United Nations Monitoring Mechanism of Sanctions against Unita has reported that it is business as usual in the diamond trading capitals of the world when it comes to the trade in conflict and illicit diamonds. The report states that sixteen companies based in Belgium, Israel and South Africa and traders from Cyprus, DRC, Tanzania and Zambia are still involved in the trade of conflict and illicit diamonds from Unita and Angola - worth an estimated $420 million dollars or five percent of the world's rough diamond trade. If the evidence that is presented to the United Nations is genuine then these companies must be publicly named, banned from the diamond industry for ever and prosecuted by the relevant authorities. (Global Witness, 18 Oct. 2001)

Nortel Technology Threatens Human Rights in China: A new report released today by Rights & Democracy reveals that the Canadian telecommunications giant Nortel Networks may be contributing to human rights violations in the People's Republic of China. The report points specifically to Nortel's OPTera technology to be launched in China this week at the APEC Leaders Meeting in Shanghai. China's Golden Shield: Corporations and the Development of Surveillance Technology in the People's Republic of China describes how technology developed for commercial purposes by transnational corporations, including Nortel, is being used by Chinese police and security forces to refine the targetting and repression of political dissidents. It also provides an overview of Nortel's long-standing involvement in the development of surveillance technology both at home and abroad. (Rights & Democracy: International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, 18 Oct 2001)

Oil company defends Sudan operations:...Jim Buckee, Talisman's chief executive, warned that the public campaign by human rights organisations for his company to leave Sudan was counter-productive because its place would be taken by others "less enthusiastic" about corporate social responsibility. (David Buchan, Financial Times, 17 Oct. 2001)

Talisman expected to sell Sudan holdings in favour of southeast Asia play (Es Stevenson, Canadian Press, 17 Oct. 2001)

Angola: Conflict diamonds ban fades as the magic bullet for Africa's civil wars - Scepticism about the campaign to end the trade in 'conflict diamonds' appears to have been borne out by the latest UN report. This says that more than $1 million worth of diamonds are still being smuggled out of Angola every day and that the Unita rebel movement take at least a quarter of the illegal trade to fund its war effort. (SouthScan, 16 Oct. 2001)

Independent Investigation Documents Campaign of Terror in Sudan: An independent investigative mission to Sudan released a report today documenting intensified armed attacks on civilians by government forces. Gunships, for example, frequently attack and terrorize villagers from an airstrip maintained by Talisman Energy and its partners in the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company...The report recommends that foreign oil companies, including Talisman, should not remain in Sudan if they continue to refuse regular, international, independent reporting of the impacts of their operations on the Sudanese people. (press release, report by Georgette Gagnon and John Ryle, commissioned by Canadian & British NGOs, 16 Oct. 2001)

Talisman head defends Sudan business to international affairs institute: Canadian oil giant Talisman Energy Inc. again defended Tuesday its involvement in war-torn Sudan, despite recent rumours that the war against terrorism would force the Canadian oil producer out of the troubled African country. In a speech to the prestigious Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Talisman president Jim Buckee said his company's policy of "corporate social responsibility" in Sudan was better than leaving the country with sanctions. But a report in Ottawa submitted Tuesday by several non-governmental agencies says an airstrip maintained by Talisman and its partners has been the launch pad for repeated attacks on civilians by the Sudan government. (James Stevenson, Canadian Press, 16 Oct. 2001)

NGOs to confront Talisman CEO: Plan to release report on Sudan while Buckee is scheduled to make major speech - A coalition of non-governmental organizations is bidding to steal the thunder of Talisman Energy Inc. chief executive officer James Buckee, as he presents today what's expected to be a major defence of his company's presence in war-torn Sudan. Mr. Buckee is scheduled to speak in London on the subject of "corporate social responsibility" at a conference hosted by the prestigious Royal Institute of International Affairs. At the same time, a group of Canadian and British non-governmental organizations (NGOs) plans to release the report of what it calls "an independent investigative mission" to Sudan to document the role of oil development in the country's bloody civil war...The 52-page report, obtained by The Globe and Mail, says that Talisman has failed at "constructive engagement" in Sudan -- its goal of bringing net benefits to the Sudanese people by supporting oil production. The report documents what it describes as government attacks on civilians and other human rights violations. It also alleges that Talisman and its consortium partners are "knowingly or unknowingly" involved in a government strategy that is displacing people from rural areas in the oil concession. (Gordon Pitts, The Globe and Mail [Canada], 16 Oct. 2001)

Bo Nok Power Plant [Thailand]: Developers say attack on staff won't scare them off - Firm plans legal action, says boss - Gulf Electric Plc, developer of the Bo Nok coal-fired power plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan, says an attack on its staff will not persuade it to pull out. Villagers who attacked its employees and a marine biologist last weekend had infringed on their human rights and legal action would be taken. (Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 16 Oct. 2001)

SUDAN: USAID chief criticises Khartoum over poor humanitarian access: The chief administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Andrew Natsios, on 12 October pledged that the US would respect the "neutrality of humanitarian assistance" in Sudan, but criticised the Khartoum administration for using relief aid as a tool in the country's 18-year civil war...According to Natsios, the discovery of oil in Sudan had changed the character of the war. He said that although oil revenue could be a major source of funding for development in Sudan, "it has only helped fuel tension, bitterness and war". Forced displacement from around the oil pipeline linking the oilfields in the south to Port Sudan had increased internal displacement and destroyed people's lives. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 16 Oct. 2001)

ANGOLA: Diamonds Worth $1 Million Smuggled Daily, U.N. Says - A U.N. panel monitoring Security Council sanctions against Angola's UNITA rebels yesterday issued a report claiming that $1 million worth of diamonds are smuggled out of the war-torn country every day, with the rebel group responsible for a quarter to a third of the total (Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press, Oct. 16). "It appears that the Antwerp and South African markets are two key points of sale or transit for embargoed diamonds, Israel being used as a laundering route for some imports," said the monitoring group, which is headed by Chilean Ambassador to the United Nations Juan Larrain (U.N. Newservice, Oct. 15). The Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Republic of the Congo were also mentioned as "vitally important routes for smugglers."...The Security Council imposed a ban on rebel diamond exports in 1998 in an attempt to halt UNITA's proceeds from diamonds, which have fueled the country's 25-year civil war. (UN Wire, 16 Oct. 2001)

British oil firms accused of Burma abuses: Burmese soldiers retained by the British companies Premier Oil and TotalFinaElf are guilty of multiple human rights abuses and subject local peasants to forced labour, extortion and beatings, the European parliament was told yesterday [testimony by Earth Rights International; article includes responses by Premier Oil and TotalFinaElf] (Andrew Osborn, Guardian [UK], 12 Oct. 2001)

Another Colombian Union Leader Murdered - Death of Gustavo Soler adds to long list of unpunished crimes: Gustavo Soler, President of the El Paso section of the energy workers' union Sintramienergética, has been murdered in Colombia. His death adds one more name to the long list of Colombians slain for defending workers' rights. Labour activists are among the most frequent targets for assassination in Colombia - mainly by right-wing death squads, and sometimes also by guerrilla movements. (ICEM [International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions], 12 Oct. 2001)

Sudan: U.N. Expert Says Oil Exploitation Is Fueling Civil War - A U.N. human rights expert told a meeting of the General Assembly yesterday that Sudan's bloody civil war, which has pitted the government against the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army for the past 18 years, has been perpetuated and made worse by international oil companies seeking to exploit the country's petroleum reserves. Gerhart Baum, a human rights investigator appointed by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, said in his report that the exploitation of Sudan's oil fields by companies registered in Canada, China, France, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Qatar and Sweden "has led to a worsening of the conflict, which has also turned into a war for oil." (UN Wire, 11 Oct. 2001)

Free Trade for A Better World - Promoters of global free trade have found a new argument for the cause: trade liberalization is key to fighting terrorism. But old conflicts die hard - Even before the smoke had settled from the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick launched a series of speeches arguing that global trade liberalization was a central plank of the counter-offensive against international terrorism...But free-traders will find it hard to fully capitalize on the momentum for a response to the deadly attacks. (Murray Hiebert and Shada Islam, Far Eastern Economic Review, 11 Oct. 2001)

New Oxfam America Report Reveals Poverty, Health Problems Worse in Developing Countries Dependent on Oil And Mining: Findings released as World Bank launches major review of extractive resource projects - Developing countries that rely heavily on oil or mineral exports suffer higher rates of poverty and child mortality, and spend more on their militaries than similar countries with more diverse economies, according to a study released today by Oxfam America. (Oxfam America, 10 Oct. 2001)

Shell Loses N880bn to Ogoni Crisis [Nigeria]: Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has incurred a loss of about $8.1 billion following withdrawal of its operations in Ogoni, Rivers State. SPDC, Vanguard gathered, feels disenchanted with the situation and has been craving to make a turn back to the oil-rich communities of Ogoni it left in 1993. The management of the company, Vanguard gathered, is currently canvassing to make peace with the indigenes through negotiations as it promises to meet reasonable demands that may be made by the Ogonis provided there will not be a recurrence of vandalization of SPDC's facilities nor attack on its staff. (Emeka Ugwuanyi, Vanguard [Lagos, Nigeria], 9 Oct. 2001)

POLITICS: Energy a Major Factor in Looming Afghan Conflict: Just as the Gulf war in 1991 was all about oil, the new conflict in South and Central Asia is no less about access to the region's abundant petroleum resources, say analysts here [New Delhi]. (Ranjit Devraj, Inter Press Service, 5 Oct. 2001)

Sudan: Coming out of the cold - Sudan is co-operating with America in the war on terrorism, but its other problems remain unresolved...The SPLA fears that the government is biding its time until its oil money—it earned over $1 billion last year, the first full year of production—makes it a more formidable fighting force. The rebels have therefore dispatched their artillery—all of it captured from government units—to the oil wells in the centre of the country. Though the government talks of peace, it is making no real efforts to negotiate with the southerners, or to spend oil revenues on the sort of development that might persuade them to stay within Sudan. (The Economist, 4 Oct. 2001)

Ottawa won't ask EDC to pull insurance for Tanzanian mine: The Canadian government will not ask the Export Development Corporation to withdraw its US$117-million insurance for a Tanzanian gold mine operated by Barrick Gold in light of a video released yesterday that alleges local miners were killed during an eviction at the site...A national coalition made the requests after releasing footage from a police videotape, photographs of corpses, family testimony and eyewitness accounts, alleging that mass killings took place in August, 1996, as part of an operation to remove thousands of local miners from a site owned by Kahama Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Sutton Resources of Vancouver. Barrick Gold acquired Sutton's assets in March, 1999. As part of its due diligence, the company probed the three-year-old allegations and found they were unfounded, said Patrick Garver, executive vice-president and general counsel. (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 28 Sep. 2001)

The High Commissioner [U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights] Opening Remarks: Global Compact Dialogue on the Role of the Private Sector in Zones of Conflict (U.N. Global Compact, 27 Sep. 2001)

Group calls on Canada to study mine murder claims [Tanzania]: A group of international human rights activists called on the Canadian government on Thursday to look into allegations of mass murder and forced relocations at a Tanzanian mine now owned by Barrick Gold Corp. But the Canadian gold miner, which acquired the Bulyanhulu project as part of its 1999 acquisition of Sutton Resources Ltd., said the accusations are nothing more than ``a rehash of old allegations.'' The Lawyers' Environmental Action Team, based in Tanzania, said it has new evidence to support claims that thousands of small-scale miners were cleared from the gold-rich site and another group of 52 were buried alive in August 1996. (Scott Anderson, Reuters, 27 Sep. 2001) 

Unearthing the truth: Disputed video footage allegedly showing evidence of deaths related to an eviction at a Tanzanian gold mine owned by a Canadian company is to be released today, reigniting a long-standing contention that about 50 miners were buried alive in the operation. The footage, shot over a period of a few days in August, 1996, was taken by a member of a police investigating team brought in to probe allegations that dozens of artisanal miners were buried alive days earlier by bulldozers operated by a subsidiary of a Canadian company filling in the pits to clear the land...Yesterday, an Amnesty International spokesman reiterated his organization's call for an "international and impartial investigation into the allegations." (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 27 Sep. 2001)

New evidence links Canada to death of Tanzanian miners - Citing dramatic new evidence uncovered by Tanzanian investigators, the Council of Canadians, Mining Watch Canada and the NGO Working Group on the Export Development Corporation joined today with environmental and human rights groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Tanzania to call for an independent investigation into allegations of mass killings and forced relocation of small scale miners at the Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania in 1996. Eyewitness accounts, family testimony, photos and police videotape recently uncovered by the Lawyer's Environmental Action Team (LEAT) of Tanzania corroborate long-standing allegations that employees of the Canadian owned Kahama Mining Corporation, LTD (KMCL) in conjunction with the Tanzanian police, buried over fifty artisanal miners by bulldozing over the entrances to the shafts in which they worked. LEAT has also compiled significant evidence that tens of thousands of small-scale miners and their families were forcibly evicted from the area without any compensation to enable the Canadian mining company to take over the property. (Council of Canadians, 27 Sep. 2001)

Talisman shares fall despite U.S. Sudan moves: Talisman Energy Inc. shares extended their slide on Wednesday despite the U.S. Congress's move to drop legislation that would have prevented the big Canadian oil producer and any other firm operating in Sudan from being listed on U.S. stock exchanges. (Reuters, 26 Sep. 2001)

Talisman reprieve comes by way of U.S. Congress - Sudan Peace Act delayed: A move by the U.S. Congress to halt legislation aimed at punishing such companies as Talisman Energy Inc. for operating in the Sudan takes the heat off the Canadian oil and gas producer to sell its interest at a distress price, observers said. The U.S. Congress ordered a delay of the proposed Sudan Peace Act at the request of the Bush administration, which is hoping to encourage the African nation's co-operation in tracking Osama bin Laden's network, a person familiar with the proposed law told Bloomberg News yesterday. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 25 Sep. 2001)

Text of class action complaint against DynCorp in U.S. court [download]: "The claims in this action arise from the DynCorp Defendants' conduct in connection with the implementation of their contract with agencies of the U.S. government to exterminate, by use of fumigants sprayed from airplanes, plantations of cocaine and/or heroin poppies in large tracks of the Colombian rainforest owned by private citizens of Colombia. During the course of implementing this contract, Defendants also sprayed large sections of Ecuador that border with Colombia, and caused severe physical and mental damage to Plaintiffs, their children, and other similarly situated lawful residents of Ecuador who have nothing whatever to do with the production of illegal drugs in Colombia." (International Labor Rights Fund, 25 Sep. 2001)

Talisman stock up on talk of Sudan sale: Rumour it will dump operations is 'all over the Street' - Talisman Energy Inc.'s stock jumped yesterday on rumours it is on the verge of selling its controversial interests in Sudan -- the ownership of which have led to threats of potential sanctions by U.S. legislators. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 22 Sep. 2001)

Africa's Churches Wake Up to Oil Problems and Possibilities [includes sections on Chad/Cameroon pipeline, Sudan, Angola, Republic of Congo] (Ian Gary, in Association of Concerned Africa Scholars Bulletin, fall 2001)

Sustainable development group aims to aid miners: Independent study group Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) aims to help miners to solve the paradox of how to supply the world's demand for minerals while addressing the social, environmental and community impact of mineral extraction. (Andy Blamey, Reuters, 21 Sep. 2001)

The London Declaration: We - twenty four representatives of communities and groups affected by mining from Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, South and North America - met in London from May 18-23rd 2001, to compare the impacts of mining on the lives of communities and ecosystems and to share strategies on how to confront the industry...Invariably mining imposed upon our communities has poisoned our waters, destroyed our livelihoods and our food sources, disrupted our social relationships, created sickness and injury in our families. Often our communities have been divided by 'imported' civil conflicts. (24 signatories from Africa, the Americas & Asia, 20 Sep. 2001)

Malaysia's Petronas recalls workers' families from Sudan, Pakistan: Malaysia's national oil firm Petronas said Wednesday it was recalling families of its employees in Sudan and Pakistan as a "precautionary step" ahead of possible US retaliation over last week's terror attacks. (AFP, 19 Sep. 2001)

ExxonMobil's Troubled Relationship in Aceh: Questions are being raised about ExxonMobil, the world's largest integrated oil company, retaining the Indonesian army and police forces for security. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 19 Sep. 2001)

LANDMINES: Parties To Worldwide Ban Meet To Assess Progress (UN Wire, 19 Sep. 2001)

Poor management of Nigeria's environment costs $5 billion per year: Poor management of Nigeria's environment is costing Africa's most populous country around $5 billion a year in ruined land and lost forests, an ecology expert said yesterday. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, executive director of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), told a meeting on the country's environment in the capital Abuja that much of the damage resulted from oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta region...Complaints over environmental management have contributed to years of tension and violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer...Illegal logging was speeding deforestation (Reuters, 19 Sep. 2001)

Talisman Energy shares slide over Sudanese operations: Shares of Talisman Energy Inc. spiralled on the Canadian stock market Thursday over fears the oil and gas giant will be punished for its operations in Sudan, an east African country with a history of sheltering terrorists. Talisman stock fell nearly eight per cent or $4.65 Thursday to $55.85 as the impact of Tuesday's terrorist attack on New York was absorbed by Canadian investors...Talisman - one of Canada's largest independent energy producers - has tirelessly defended its involvement in Sudan as a positive influence helping the war-torn country. But critics charge that Talisman is creating blood money for the Sudanese government to use in a vicious civil war that has raged for at least 18 years. (James Stevenson, The Canadian Press, 13 Sep. 2001)

Report Details Positive Results on Landmine Ban, Despite Instances of Continued Use: The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) today released its third annual report on the global landmine situation, detailing substantial results in implementation of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and instances of continued use of the weapon. (International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 12 Sep. 2001) 

Increasing Agreement To Ban Land Mines: More and more nations are signing on to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, according to the just-released third annual report of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) but continuing regional conflicts keep mines in use in parts of Africa. (Charles Cobb Jr., allAfrica.com, 11 Sep. 2001)

Jewelers of America Sends Members a Call to Action:...The Clean Diamond Trade Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and is supported by members of both the Democrat and Republican parties. It will not only insure that diamonds entering the U.S. are conflict free but also play a critical role in the development of a system of international controls that will ban conflict diamonds from all the cutting centers. (Jewelers of America & Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds, 10 Sep. 2001)

Bishops [Sudan Catholic Bishops] Link Oil Companies With Intensification of War: The Sudanese civil war had intensified over the past three years due to the oil business, made possible by the completion of an oil pipeline by a consortium of multinational corporations, and oil revenue was one factor in encouraging the government "to seek a military rather than a negotiated settlement to the conflict," according to the bishops. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 8 Sep. 2001)

Tony Hall: Conflict Diamonds Are A Serious Problem (U.S. Representative Tony Hall, 7 Sep. 2001)

Sierra Leone Diamonds: International certification system essential to help end killings, abduction and torture of civilians - Governments and the diamond industry must seize the opportunity next week to establish an effective and transparent international diamond certification system, Amnesty International said today. Those involved have a legal and moral responsibility to sever permanently the link between the diamond trade and killings, abduction and torture of civilians. (Amnesty International, 7 Sep. 2001)

Liberia breaches UN sanctions - Whilst its logging industry funds arms imports and RUF rebels: According to a report released today [by Global Witness], the Government of Liberia continues to import armaments and to support the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), responsible for gross human rights abuses in Sierra Leone. This support is made possible by profits of over US$100 million per year generated by Liberia's timber industry, which is integrally linked to illegal arms importation. (Global Witness, 6 Sep. 2001)

Rebels Warn Against 'Blood Oil': Sudanese rebels have warned that African countries such as Zimbabwe that are contemplating buying cheap fuel from Khartoum will be buying "blood oil" which has been drilled from areas where villagers have been driven out by bombs. (Financial Gazette [Zimbabwe], 6 Sep. 2001)

Hereros Sue German Firms for Reparations: The Herero community in Namibia has instituted a legal claim against three German companies for $2bn in reparations. The Hereros' Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, who heads the Chief Hosea Kutako Foundation, said yesterday that the lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, Terex Corporation and Woermann Line (now known as SAFmarine) in Washington DC, US, would be followed by one against the German government. They accuse the three German companies of forming a "brutal alliance" with imperial Germany to exterminate more than 65000 Hereros between 1904 and 1907. (Business Day [Johannesburg], 6 Sep. 2001)

Bush names peace envoy to oil-rich Sudan: U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday appointed former Sen. John Danforth as special envoy to Sudan to try to work for peace in the country wracked by civil war which has potentially rich oil fields...The Bush administration, which includes many senior officials with links to the oil industry, has shown a strong interest in trying to resolve conflicts that could disrupt potential suppliers, from Sudan to the Caucasus...Oil has become a growing issue in the Sudan conflict. Earlier on Thursday Sudan's Catholic bishops accused foreign oil companies of complicity in brutal human rights abuses committed by the Khartoum government. (Deborah Charles, Reuters, 6 Sep. 2001)

Christian Association Moves to Reconcile Mosop, Shell: The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has joined efforts at finding an amicable solution to the lingering crisis involving the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and Anglo-Dutch oil firm -- Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria...Speaking on SPDC's new Corporate Image Campaign yesterday, Berg [Shell Nigeria's Chairman and Managing Director, Ron Van Den Berg] said the initiative is to open up a new vista of understanding for the company, which he said will give rise to the idea being replicated in selected countries, including Malaysia, Ireland and South Africa. "The thrust of this new corporate identity campaign of Shell is our sustainable development programme, which ensues that Shall conducts its business in an environmentally and socially responsible manner," he said. (Yakubu Lawal, Guardian [Lagos], 5 Sep. 2001)

Preparing to Fight the Illicit Trade in Small Arms: More than 40 police and military personnel from Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone took part in Freetown in the first training of trainers course on the control of small arms in West Africa. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 5 Sep. 2001)

Rural Activists Killed in New Wave of Violence [Brazil]: Freitas da Silva's murder is part of a new wave of violence against a backdrop of conflicts over the expansion of soy bean farming...``leading to the displacement of riverside and peasant communities, and the consequent conflicts...'' (Mario Osava, Inter Press Service, 3 Sep. 2001)

It's the Real Thing: Murder - Union activity at...Colombian worksites, including several run by American companies, has been greeted with terror. (Aram Roston, The Nation, 3 Sep. 2001)

Human rights anger over arms fair invitations [UK]: The government was sharply attacked yesterday for hosting a large arms fair and inviting countries with poor human rights records. (Richard Norton-Taylor, Guardian [UK], 1 Sep. 2001)

Angola's Wealth: Stories of War and Neglect - ...Angola's oil reserves are mainly off-shore; therefore neither oil companies nor the small number of Angolans profiting from the industry have much interaction with ordinary Angolans. This creates an economic and political distance that encourages neglect and undermines accountability. Most Angolans see few results of their country's wealth. Government spending on social services, such as health and education, remains just a fraction of what is spent in the war. The Angolan government does not spend nearly enough on humanitarian aid, despite the fact that millions are in need. (Oxfam Briefing Paper, Sep. 2001)

UN small arms conference: The first-ever UN Conference on Small Arms gave world leaders an historic opportunity to take action against the illicit arms trade. To their shame, they wasted it. (Jane Ramsey, in Oxfam Campaigner, Sep. 2001)

Fashion to die for: the international trade in 'conflict' diamonds: international diamond conference - London 11-13 September: The aim of the London meeting is to develop detailed proposals for an international certification system that will screen out diamonds that are used to fund civil war in such countries as Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone. However there are signs that key industry and government representatives are not prepared to do anything other than lend their support to a toothless system of voluntary self-regulation. (ActionAid, Sep. 2001)

Shrimp For Brains:...a huge – and some say destructive — land-based shrimp aquaculture industry has expanded rapidly in the coastal regions of Asia and Latin America, often with the help of the International Finance Corporation (Charlie Cray, Multinational Monitor, Sep. 2001)