Control of oil fields linked to human rights

Amnesty International has called on the Canadian oil company, Talisman, to prevent human rights abuses in and around its oilfields in southern Sudan. The international human rights organisation said on Tuesday that there was a significant risk that Sudanese government forces would use roads and airstrips, built to serve the oilfields, to commit human rights violations. It said there was “little evidence” that Talisman had taken any action to protect civilians from bombings or against forced displacements in its area of operations. Amnesty International released the statement on the eve of a meeting of Talisman shareholders. As the Sudanese government attempted to establish control in the new Kaikang [9.18N 29.09E] oilfield, Amnesty said it feared human rights abuses would spread. Civilians had suffered forced displacement and unlawful killings by government-allied forces from the Hajlij and Unity oilfields since 1999, Amnesty added. It expressed concern that oil revenues would be used by the Khartoum government to increase military expenditure. Military spending had increased by 96 percent since 1998, and now stood at 84 billion Sudanese dinars per year. Amnesty quoted the Sudanese government army spokesman, General Muhammad Uthman Yasin, as saying Sudan was already manufacturing mortars, tanks and armoured personnel carriers as a result of income from oil exploitation. The Sudanese government has denied committing human rights abuses as a result of oil operations.