Amnesty concerned over “human price of oil”

Amnesty International has expressed concern over what it terms the “human price of oil” in Sudan, saying that massive human rights violations are being committed by the government, government-allied militias and armed opposition groups in the quest for oil. “The civilian population living in oil fields and surrounding areas has been deliberately targeted for massive human rights abuses - forced displacement, aerial bombardments, strafing villages from helicopter gunships, unlawful killings, torture including rape and abduction,” Amnesty said in a press release.

It said foreign companies were turning a blind eye to these violations “committed in the name of protecting the security of oil-producing areas”. “The silence of powerful oil companies in the face injustice and human rights violations is not neutral,” the statement added. It said companies were responsible for the impact of their operations on the local community, and noted there was a “clear connection” between the new-found oil wealth and the government’s ability to purchase arms.