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Chad Cameroon Pipeline Project Completion meeting (World Bank) in Cameroon on the 13-14 of October 2005

Today, in Cameroon, an impcharge of the Chaortant meeting will determine if the Consortium Exxon-Petronas-Chevron, in d-Cameroon Pipeline Project, should be given a completion-certificate, which would mean that the construction phase operation has been carried out in the respect of contract obligations by Esso (Exxon) and its subcontractors, and in compliance with Banks’ policies.

The implementing Consortium claims almost all cases have been attended and are requesting the project completion certificate by the World Bank. On the other hand, local villagers, through the effective action of the NGO FOCARFE, claim that 354 cases are still pending.

Both ENDS is currently supporting the initiative of the Cameroonian NGO of Environment and Sustainable Delevopment (FOCARFE focarfe@yahoo.com), to complement the 2004 field survey of 80 villages, with a participatory inventory of non-compliance cases in all 242 villages along the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline, before project completion report will be approved by the World Bank. The full report is under preparation in a form of a brochure, and will be the main input for the meeting these days.

On the 354 cases presented by FOCARFE’s report, the Consortium has replied in an earlier occasion that:

• For 19 cases, Consortium’s responsibility was recognized;
• For 111 cases, Consortium respected their engagements, but the populations were not satisfied, and COTCO will bring mitigating solutions on the case to case basis;
• For 205 cases, Consortium’s responsibility was not engaged;
• For 18 cases, Consortium was not concerned.

In response to this rather poor result of taking their responsibilities, FOCARFE organized a People’s Tribunal that took place on the 30th of September 2005 in the Yaounde Agricultural Chamber. More than a hundred persons took place in the hall to listen to the complaints laid by 21 accusers. The Jury was made of 10 personalities, with Barrister Nguini as President, and various members including one representative of the national Episcopal conference, of the protestant church (Secretary General of the Council of protestant Churches), and one representative of the Muslim community in Cameroon.

The indictment document mentioned 10 points of concern:

• overpricing of equipment supplied to local communities
• destruction of water points
• defective and non functional equipments
• formally existing infrastructures destroyed by the project
• destruction of water points
• workers rights non respected
• farmers properties destroyed by construction works
• poorly restored lands
• poor waste management
• defensive sites destroyed
• indigenous people’s rights non respected
  

In the absence of the accused (Constructor, Government, World Bank), summoned to appear, but who turned down the invitation to appear before the court, and after the accusers explanations and answers, with the support of FOCARFE and other civil society members appearing as witnesses, the Jury found the Constructor guilty. The Government was equally found guilty for its laxity and lack of capacity to counteract the wrongs doings of the Constructor.

Several recommendations were made by the Jury, ranging from the request of a social and economic audit of the Chad-Cameroon project, to that of the repairing of all the censured cases of pertinent non-conformities and problems caused in the villages of the pipeline track, and also the creation of a fund to sustain eventual emergency oil spill cases.

This sentence indicates the direction, which should have been taken in case of equitable treatment of the issues, and it is believed that a proper ventilation of the information and the operation as a whole will significantly raise awareness in the general public.

The full report is under preparation in a form of a brochure, but already elements of the events are being used to advocate towards the World Bank, the Consortium, and the others, for the “project completion report” meeting planned by the World Bank in Cameroon on the 13-14 of October 2005.