Sudan vs Angola: Christian Aid, Oil Revenues And Selectivity
The European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council, March 2001
Christian Aid states that it is active in both Sudan and Angola. Both
Sudan and Angola are stricken by long-running civil wars. Both have an
oil industry. Angola's is a long standing business, and Sudan's has only
just begun. While Christian Aid has launched a ferocious campaign against
the oil industry's involvement in Sudan, and the alleged effect that oil
revenues have had in exacerbating the Sudanese civil war, it has shown no
such concern about the Angolan oil revenues which do clearly fund the
ongoing devastating Angolan civil war.
It is also a matter of record that while the international community has
not seen any evidence that Sudanese oil revenues are being used to
continue the Sudanese civil war, there is abundant evidence that Angolan
oil revenues are directly funding the Angolan conflict. In March 2000,
the British Government, for example, in reply to a Parliamentary
question about whether the Sudanese Government had used oil revenues to
purchase weapons, publicly stated that they did not "have any evidence
of such expenditure at present". In the same month, in responding
to a similar question about whether the Angolan Government was using oil
revenues to acquire weapons, the British Government stated: "There is no
doubt that oil revenues are used to fund the purchase of arms".
The Angolan Government receives at least $10 million per day in oil
revenues (Christian claims that Sudan receives $1 million per day in oil
revenues) The Bishop of Luanda, Damiao Franklin, has openly stated "Much
of Angola's wealth goes on weapons."
Christian Aid appears to be deliberately selective as to which oil
revenues fuel which conflict. While active in Angola Christian Aid has
never so much as mentioned the fact that Angolan oil revenues
demonstrably perpetuate that conflict - let alone take a stand on the
issue: all Christian Aid states is "Huge oil revenues and valuable
mineral deposits, especially diamonds, could contribute significantly to
the economy." It would appear to turn a blind eye to the Angolan
oil industry and those American oil companies involved in it. Surely
Christian Aid wishes to see an end to the misery and suffering within
the Angolan conflict: surely by its own argument, as used with regard to
Sudanese oil revenues, it should be campaigning to end international
involvement in the Angolan oil industry.
One of the conclusions that might be drawn is that Christian Aid's
selective interest in the Sudanese oil industry may be because Sudan is
a Muslim country, and Angola is not. Or, alternatively, perhaps Christian
Aid is politically supportive of the Angolan government and thus turns a blind
eye to oil revenues directly perpetuating war, deaths, misery and sickness.
Why does Christian Aid believe that the Angolan government is entitled to
spend its oil revenues defending itself against insurgents while denying
the Sudanese government the right to defend itself against American-
supported destabilisation? All in all, Christian Aid betrays its stated
commitment to justice, peace and human rights for all.
Given that it is an overtly Christian organisation, Christian Aid would
have been better advised not to position itself in ways which leave it
open to the claim that it has deliberately targeted the oil industry in
a Muslim country (without providing evidence that this revenue is being
used for arms procurement) while ignoring an industry that produces ten
times as much revenue in Angola which is not a Muslim country (and which
revenue is clearly being used to wage war).
Full report:
Arrogant, Misleading And Prejudiced: Christian Aid On Sudan
sudan.net |
