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International Campaigns: Chad and Cameroon Oil Pipeline Project Threatens Local Communities and Fragile Ecosystems "Africa cannot afford the environmental devastation of such a project. We need to help construct, not destroy." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu In June 2000, the World Bank agreed to help finance a controversial oil pipeline project that would run from the oil fields in Doba in southern Chad to the coast of Cameroon. The construction of the pipeline threatens the rainforests of Cameroon and farming land in Chad. In addition to this immediate environmental threat, ExxonMobil, which heads the consortium that is constructing the pipeline, has yet to develop an adequate response plan to potential oil spills, which would be disastrous to the ecosystems of Chad and Cameroon. There are also serious concerns about the capacity of both governments to uphold basic human rights standards in the pipeline region. The Chadian government has been criticized for systematic harassment and detention of local activists, journalists, and elected officials critical of the project. Money from the oil consortium, originally slated for development projects such as schools and hospitals, has been diverted for weapons purchases. In Cameroon, indigenous groups along the pipeline are facing grave consequences from the disruption caused by the project. There have also been many questions about the consultation process used to evaluate the effect of the project on local communities in Cameroon, which Transparency International designated in 1998 and 1999 as "the most corrupt country in the world." ExxonMobil must commit itself to the protection of the human rights of those who reside along the pipeline, which includes publicly disclosing its security arrangements and the environmental and human rights impacts of the project. More Background Human Rights Concerns Environmental Concerns Take Action -- Hold ExxonMobil Accountable Further Information News Updates Pipeline Project's One Year Anniversary Marred by Continued Human Rights and Environmental Concerns Opposition Candidates in Chad Arrested After Irregular National Elections ExxonMobil in Chad/Cameroon -- A Case for International Right to Know What is the International Right to Know? ExxonMobil -- IRTK Case Study World Bank and US Government reports http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ccproj/ http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/chad.html http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/cameroon.html Environmental and human rights organizations – reports and analyses http://www.edf.org/pubs/Reports/c_chadcam.html http://www.edf.org/pubs/Reports/chadcameroon http://www.foe.org/international/worldbank/ chadcameroon.html Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club