Oil, environmental politics and human rights abuses : Interview with Bogumil Terminski

Paris, April 20, 2012, This interview was originally written in French.

Virginie Richard: Extraction and transportation of oil often leading to violent clashes, human rights abuses, environmental degradation and forced evictions. Ogoni community, the people of Colombia, Ecuador and Burma are just some examples of people affected by the consequences of oil extraction. The subject of your report is the forcible displacement caused by oil exploitation in different parts of the world. Give us some brief description of oil-induced displacement and resettlement.

Bogumil Terminski: Indeed. Among the worst consequences of oil production we can mention the persecution of local communities, halth diseases, environmental degradation, water pollution and forced displacement of local communties. The biggest problems we now see, however, arise in failed states and conflicted countries with poorly-established principles of democracy, ethnic antagonism or practices of discrimination against indigenous and tribal people, and low efficiency in the institutions of legal protection. It is hard to imagine that a well-governed countries could allow such practices as in the Niger Delta.

Mass displacement may be associated with every stage of oil production: investment planning, implementation, drilling, and the transportation of crude oil. Many people are forced to leave their homes following the irreversible destruction of the local ecosystem, or threaten the political persecution. Oil extraction is is just the beginning of many problems. Then come the political persecution and destruction of the environment. More and more factors that hinder the normal functioning of the place of residence and forcing people to migrate.

Virginie Richard: What areas of the world are most vulnerable to this problems?

Bogumil Terminski: In my report I discuss the situation in five countries: Nigeria, Sudan, Ecuador, Colombia and Burma. I was surprised how similar are the problems affecting people in all these countries. Oil-Induced Displacement and Resettlement is therefore a global phenomenon, occurring at least three continents. I will briefly describe the problems characterizing the mentioned countries.

Nigeria: The situation in Ogoniland is the best known example of oil-induced violence worldwide. Deposits of oil were discovered in Ogoniland in 1957. The following year, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron Corporation joined forces in production. Later in the production of this crude oil, the Shell company also became engaged. The Ogoni population did not receive any compensation, despite the increasing environmental devastation of the Niger Delta in the seventies. Long-lasting environmental degradation has forced Ogoni people to protest campain against Shell and other oil companies. Following protests in 1993, 27 villages were raided, resulting in the death of 2,000 Ogoni people and the displacement of 80,000-100,000. More than 2,000 Ogoni people have been forced to leave Ogoniland and escaped to neighboring states.

Sudan: An especially significant amount of displacement is associated with the rise of more than 2000 kms of pipeline here (the Block 5A concession). The government of Sudan allowed the eviction of local communities in order to protect areas with oil deposits. The worst situation in this respect was between 1999 and 2003. According to Robinson, in the Eastern Upper Nile region, 48 villages were burned and over 55,000 people were displaced in 12 months. Operation Lifeline Sudan estimates that this so-called `oilfields war` has caused the displacement of 174,000 people. The worst situation was in the Bentiu and Rubkona regions in southern Sudan. According to the United Nations Report from September 2001, more than 100,000 people were displaced between 1999 and 2001.

Ecuador: The operations of Texaco (bought by Chevron in 2001) led to the contamination of large areas of the Amazon forest in Ecuador. Crude oil was located especially in the West Oriente region and extraction was conducted by Texpet Consortium (Texaco and Petroecuador). In the opinion of the Western press, this was known as one of the greatest environmental disasters of the second half of the twentieth century. Texaco activities lead to massive displacement of Cofan people in Ecuador (native to northeast Ecuador and southern Colombia).

Colombia: In 1960 Texaco and Ecopetrol began to constructing pipelines and roads for drilling oil in the departmant of Putumayo (southern Colombia). These activities forced to displacement of Siona, Awa, Kofan, Inga, Huitoto and Coreguaje indigenous communities of Putumayo. Many indigenous people has been displaced following British Petroleum discoveries near the municipalities of Aguazul, Tauramena, Monterrey and Yopal in Cansanare depertment in central-east part of Colombia (1980s). In Casanare 800 km pipeline runs through its territory, owned by BP, extending to these a port Covenas. Oil exploitation was an important source of income for the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Burma: Large-scale gas deposits were discovered in Burma in 1982 (so-called Yadana field). In 1994 an American consortium Unocal and French company Total started to built a pipeline (completed in 1998). Three oil companies (Unocal, Total and Premier) entered into agreement with brutal Burmese regime to construct Yetagun and Yadana pipelines. Among the worst human rights violations we can mention: brutal evictions of entire communities, forced labour and sexual harassment.

Virginie Richard: Can you explain to us the specific elements of the situation in Ogoniland?

The destruction of the environment is there not comparable to any other region in the world. Despite the international publicizing the problem, the international community has never adopted a clear position on this issue. A very important element of protest in Nigeria were the slogans of environmental human rights.

Virginie Richard: What are common elements of oil-induced displacement and resettlement?

Bogumil Terminski: The social costs of oil production illustrate, like no other issue, the asymmetric power relationship between transnational capital and the populations of developing countries, indigenous peoples in particular. Oil-related displacement and resettlement, observed in different parts of the world, are phenomena rather similar in nature. Their common element is the growing economic, social, and cultural marginalization of indigenous people. Oil projects are frequently located in indigenous peoples' territories (Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, East Timor, Burma, Angola, Nigeria). Following the expansion of mining, indigenous groups are forced to leave land they have inhabited for generations. Yet such people almost never participate in the distribution of income from oil extraction. Rather, they play the role of hostage to the interests of government, multinational petrochemical corporations, and extremist groups.

Bogumil Terminski is a researcher at the University of Warsaw and PhD fellow at The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva (2009). He is an author of 40 peer reviewed publications, including 3 books in Polish: International Protection of Migrant Workers' Rights: Origins, Institutions and Impact (2011), Development-Induced Displacement: A New Category of Forced Resettlement (2012), and Environmentally-Induced Displacement (2012 –in press). He is cooperating with several intergovernmental agencies, including the UNHCR. Currently, he is working on an English book entitled Human Rights in Times of Transition.

Virginie Richard is a scholar and independent journalist based in Paris.