Block 5A, South Sudan
Encyclopedia
Block 5A is an oil concession in South Sudan
.
After oil field development began during the Second Sudanese Civil War
, Block 5A was the scene of extensive fighting as rival militias struggled for control.
Out of an original population of 240,000, an estimated 12,000 were killed or died of starvation and 160,000 were displaced by force.
Production started in 2006.
There is evidence that the environmentally sensitive marshlands beside the Nile
are becoming polluted.
European companies have been accused of complicity in clearance of the population from the oil field.
, extending west into Warrap
State and East into Jonglei
State to the east of the Nile.
Block 5A is part of a huge, fertile floodplain fed by rivers from the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In the dry season the land becomes parched. Pastoralists move their herds from one area to another in search of grazing, usually staying close to a river or permanent wetland. In the wet season, the low lying lands are covered in flood water, and the herders move to higher ground.
Block 5A is populated by Nuer people of the Bul, Leek, Jagei, Western Jikany and Dok sections.
The town of Leer
, in Dok Nuer territory, is in a key position in the block.
On the east of the Nile the southern part of Zeraf island lies in Block 5a, populated mostly by Thiang Nuer.
Geologically, Block 5A is located in the Muglad Basin
, which extends from South Sudan
north into Sudan
and is rich in oil deposits.
The Thar Jath field in Block 5A has an area of 54 square kilometres (20.8 sq mi).
Reserves at the Thar Jath field are said to be 250 million barrels.
Mala field was expected to start production with 10,000 bpd in 2007 which would go up to 20,000 bpd by 2008.
Mala was thought to have 44 million barrels of reserves.
Oil has also been found in Jarayan field.
After hostilities resumed, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) captured Leer from the government in March 1986, and the town became a stronghold of the rebel commander Riek Machar
, who had been born there.
In August 1991 Riek Machar broke away from John Garang
's mainstream branch of the SPLM/A.
Machar's breakaway faction was called the SPLM/A-Nasir faction from 1991 to 1993, and then the South Sudan Independence Army (SSIA) from 1994 to 1997.
In 1996 Riek signed a Political Charter and in 1997 the Khartoum Peace Agreement
with the government.
Riek was made commander in chief of the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF), which included most of the ex-rebels who had signed the Khartoum agreement. His forces controlled Block 5A.
The swampy and inaccessible region had no strategic value to the Khartoum government before the approach of the pipeline that was built from Port Sudan
on the Red Sea to Heglig
, not far to the north.
The 1540 kilometres (956.9 mi) underground pipeline opened in 1999.
In 1998, oil exploration began to ramp up in the Block 5A concession area, and Paulino Matiep's South Sudan Unity Movement (SSUM) militia began pushing civilians out. There was growing tension between Riek Machar's SSDF and Paulino Matip's SSUM. Both groups wanted the rewards from providing security to the oil companies.
In 1998–1999, Paulino's fighters and government troops clashed several times with Riek's forces in a struggle for control of the Unity state oilfields.
Peter Gadet
led Paulino Matiep's militia as they marauded through Block 5A in early 1999.
His fighters forced Tito Biel
, a high-ranking SSDF commander, to evacuate Leer.
By April 1999 Tito Biel's SSDF forces in Western Upper Nile were cooperating with the Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA) forces in Bahr el Ghazal
, who were supplying arms.
On arrival in Yirol
early in May 1999 Tito formally declared that he had switched to the SPLA, along with his officers and men.
In September 1999 Peter Gadet also mutinied, going over to the SPLA. On 29 September 1999 Gadet shelled Paulino's base of Mayom, causing flight of civilians to Block 5A in the east of the state.
For several months after September 1999 Tito coordinated with Gadet in attacking various oil-related targets in Unity State.
With the end of the civil war in January 2005 the fighting died down. However, security problems continue.
After the April 2010 elections, Colonel Gatluak Gai
of Koch County
in Block 5A was dissatisfied with the results and rebelled.
He eventually made peace with the SPLA in July 2011, but was killed three day later.
On 11 April 2011 Gatluak Gai's son-in-law, Major General Peter Gadet, now of the "South Sudan Liberation Army", published the "Mayom Declaration". He denounced government by the "current corrupt gangs in Juba" and called for the government of Southern Sudan to be replaced by a national broad-base transitional government.
Gadet began an assault on the SPLA in Unity state, leaving at least 45 people dead.
According to the military, 20 of the victims were southern army soldiers.
prospected for oil in Block 5A, and in 1982 reportedly found oil about fours hours walk northwest of Koch.
However, Chevron stopped oil exploration after three of their expatriate oil workers were killed by rebels in February 1984.
After the resumption of exploration and development, on 6 February 1997 the Sudanese Government granted the block 5A concession to a consortium of Lundin Oil of Sweden, OMV of Austria, Petronas
of Malaysia and Sudapet
of Sudan.
Lundin's 40.375% stake was held by their Canadian subsidiary International Petroleum Corporation (IPC).
OMV agreed to purchase their 27.5% interest in the Block 5A project on 3 June 1997. Petronas already had a pending assignment of a 30% interest.
In 2002, Lundin and Talisman Energy
swapped some of their assets, but the Lundin family kept control of their block 5A assets.
Block 5A was the main asset of Lundin Oil's successor Lundin Petroleum
between 2001 and 2003.
In 1998 the consortium established a drilling site at Ryer, in Jagei Nuer territory, near the port of Thar Jath
on the Nile. In 1998 they built an unpaved road from Bentiu
to the north via Duar and Guk to Ryer and Thar Jath.
They gave little work to the local people, but brought in hundreds of Arab and Chinese laborers.
The consortium undertook seismic tests, and by October 2000 had acquired over 1485 kilometres (922.7 mi) of data.
The first exploration well at the Thar Jath field was spudded on 7 April 1999, expected to reach the Cretaceous Bentiu and Darfur sandstones at a depth of around 3200 metres (10,498.7 ft) in four to six weeks.
In May 2000, Lundin suspended operations after rebels attacked the Thar Jath rig and killed three government employees.
They resumed in March 2001 after the local population had been forcibly removed, but halted once more in January 2002.
According to a Lundin report: "... in view of increasing instability in the area, to ensure maximum security for its personnel and operations, the Consortium decided to suspend seismic and drilling activities on Block 5A as a precautionary measure".
In March 2003, Lundin said there had been "positive developments in the peace process and the improved conditions in its concession area" and said that it was planning to undertake infrastructure work "as a first step towards an eventual recommencement of activities".
In June 2003 Lundin Petroleum completed sale its working interest in Block 5A to Petronas Carigali for USD 142.5 million.
In August 2003 ONGC Videsh (OVL) of India was given approval to acquire the 26.125% stake owned by OMV in Block 5A.
On 2 September 2003 OVL bought OMV's stake in Blocks 5a and 5B for $135 million.
In 2006 White Nile Petroleum Operating Co started production at the Thar Jath field in Block 5A.
The company was now jointly owned by Petronas
of Malaysia (68.9%), ONGC Videsh of India (24.1%) and Sudapet
of Sudan (7%).
The initial rate of production was 40,000 bbl/day, expected to rise to 54,000 bbl/day by 2009 and then to decline to 39,000 bbl/day in 2011.
Crude oil from the field is treated at a new central processing facility, then transported via a new 172-kilometer pipeline to a pump station in Heglig
owned and operated by Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company
(GNPOC).
From there it is carried by GNPOC's 1542 kilometres (958.2 mi) pipeline to Port Sudan
on the Red Sea
.
A 2005 estimate of total development effort for Thar Jath field was US$311 million.
Assuming a Brent price of US$25 per barrel, that would give an Internal Rate of Return of just over 22%.
At that time a government-supported Nuer militia under Major General Paulino Matiep began attacking communities in Block 5A, including Leer. Residents fled to the marshes, where many died of malaria.
The Khartoum government wanted to clear all civilians away from the oil facilities, roads and pipeline. Riek Machar's less violent approach was rejected.
In the region around the Ryer/Thar Jath headquarters, the population was forced to leave with little notice in 1998, taking only their cattle. Their houses were destroyed.
Between June 1997 and November 1998 fighting between factions in the Nhialdiu area caused about 70% of the population to flee to Bentiu
and Mankien
.
In early 1998 villages around Nhialdiu
were looted and destroyed. The health center in Nhialdiu was destroyed.
In May 1998 Oxfam
began an emergency program to assist 25,000 people in Unity State displaced through insecurity.
In June 1998 Duar
town was attacked. The Medecins Sans Frontieres
compound was burned and destroyed, as were the school and the community offices. Paulino's forces raided cattle camps, killing the animals for food. Many of the population fled, some to islands in the Nile where they felt they would be safe. Paulino's forces raided the area around Koch
three times in 1998, destroying chapels, clinics, schools and government buildings. Again, those who could escape did so.
Sudanese government troop arrived near Leer in April 1998, but SSDF forces kept them from entering the town.
In June, July and August Paulino Matiep's forces attacked Leer, looting and destroying houses and buildings such as the hospital, NGO compounds and churches.
After the attacks, the WFP said that Leer had become a ghost town.
According to a WFP representative: "Over the past months thousands of people have fleed without food or belongings. They've been forced to hide for days in the surrounding swamps and outlying villages, living in constant fear and surviving on just water lilies [a wild food] and fish. Their own villages have been burned down and their grain stores have been looted".
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs defined Unity State as being an area of acute emergency, the worst possible classification.
A major government operation began in block 5A in early 2002 after a Lundin helicopter had been shot down.
Civilians along the oil road were the main target, and again there were many casualties and many were forced to flee. Despite a cease-fire agreement, in April 2003 the government opened another offensive in Block 5A. Soon after, Lundin sold its interest in the concession.
A study of Landsat data between 1999 and 2004 showed major shifts in land use that closely corresponded to reports of fighting in the block. Between 1999 and 2002 most farming activity stopped in the bands that extended 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) on each side of the newly built oil roads. Traditional farming areas were abandoned and there was a gradual drift of farming activity towards the south and west. By 2002 there was no sign of any farming activity around Nhialdiu, where a series of village attacks had been reported for the last three years.
Reports of attacks by government forces in the period from January to April 2002 in Western Upper Nile (Unity State) said Antonov bombers, helicopter gunships, horsemen and Government of Sudan ground forces and militia were involved. Many civilians were killed.
A report published by the International Crisis Group
on 10 February 2003 described a renewed push to clear the road south from Bentiu
to the port of Adok
on the Nile.
It said "The offensive from late December until the
beginning of February was an extension of the government’s long-time strategy of depopulating oilrich areas through indiscriminate attacks on civilians in order to clear the way for further development of infrastructure. Eyewitness accounts confirm that the tactics included the abduction of women and children, gang rapes, ground assaults supported by helicopter gunships, destruction of humanitarian relief sites, and burning of villages.
A blockage more than 8 kilometres (5 mi) was first seen in 2003 to the north of the Thar Jath oil field.
Given that the field is just 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Nile and that there is a risk of oil contamination, this is a serious concern. On 8 November 2004 a thick black cloud with a 13 km black fane was visible in the Thar Jath oil field, possibly indicating a blowout and resultant oil spill.
In March 2008 there were reports that children in Koch had died from drinking contaminated water. Local officials said that over 1,000 people were suffering from unknown illnesses.
Large amounts of saline water are injected into the sub-surface around the oil reservoirs to maintain oil pressure, and this can cause health problems if people drink the water. Witnesses also said that toxic waste was being dumped into pits in the dried swamp, which would flood into the marshes in the rainy season.
In November 2009 the German NGO Sign of Hope reported that in the village of Rier, close to the Thar Jath Central Processing Facility, there were critical levels of salts and contaminants such as cyanides, lead, nickel, cadmium and arsenic. This water can cause serious health problems.
The pollution was also affecting the Sudd
wetlands, deemed to be of international importance under the Ramsar convention
.
The report said "Human Rights Watch believes that the companies in the two oil consortiums during the 1998-2002 period covered in this report, Talisman
(Blocks 1, 2 and 4) and Lundin (Block 5A), and their partners CNPC, Petronas and OMV, have benefitted from the government's continued abuses of human rights".
There was an outcry in Sweden, and Lundin sold its stake to Petronas.
In their 2006 Annual Report, Lundin emphasises that they paid strict attention to international norms related to human rights, and that they implemented a Community Development and Humanitarian Assistance Program to assist local communities in obtaining water supply, health care and education.
Talisman Energy, a Canadian company, had already been subject to a critical report prepared for the Canadian government in 2000, although it denied knowing of any human rights abuses.
In October 2002, Talisman announced that it was selling its interests in Sudan to ONGC Videsh.
The Talisman President said "Shareholders have told me they were tired of continually having to monitor and analyse events relating to Sudan".
OMV eventually closed the deal to sell its stake to ONGC in May 2004, backdated to 1 January 2003.
In June 2010, a Swedish public prosecutor said an inquiry was being opened into whether any of Lundin's Swedish employees broke the law. The investigation was triggered by an 8 June 2010 report published by the European Coalition on Oil in the Sudan, an NGO based in the Netherlands.
The report claims that Lundin's decision to explore and then extract oil from Block 5A started the war for control of the area. The report asserts that Lundin contributed material used in the war and cooperated with the forces responsible for many of the crimes.
Lundin denied the allegations.
The investigation is sensitive because Carl Bildt
, Swedish Foreign Minister, was a board member during the years when the alleged abuse occurred.
OMV, which is 31% owned by the Austrian government, was also implicated by the report.
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South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
.
After oil field development began during the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
, Block 5A was the scene of extensive fighting as rival militias struggled for control.
Out of an original population of 240,000, an estimated 12,000 were killed or died of starvation and 160,000 were displaced by force.
Production started in 2006.
There is evidence that the environmentally sensitive marshlands beside the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
are becoming polluted.
European companies have been accused of complicity in clearance of the population from the oil field.
Location
The Block 5A concession covers the central part of Unity State on the west of the White NileWhite Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
, extending west into Warrap
Warrap
Warrap may refer to one of two places in South Sudan:* Warrap, South Sudan, a town.* Warrap , a state....
State and East into Jonglei
Jonglei
Jonglei is one of the 10 states of South Sudan. Jonglei is the largest state in the Republic of South Sudan, with approximately 122,479 km2, as well as the most populous according to the controversial 2008 census conducted during present-day South Sudan's second period of autonomy. Bor is the...
State to the east of the Nile.
Block 5A is part of a huge, fertile floodplain fed by rivers from the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In the dry season the land becomes parched. Pastoralists move their herds from one area to another in search of grazing, usually staying close to a river or permanent wetland. In the wet season, the low lying lands are covered in flood water, and the herders move to higher ground.
Block 5A is populated by Nuer people of the Bul, Leek, Jagei, Western Jikany and Dok sections.
The town of Leer
Leer, South Sudan
Leer is a small town in Unity State in South Sudan. It is the headquarters of Leer County.-Location:Leer is in Dok Nuer territory.It is located in Block 5A, an important oil-producing area in the north of South Sudan....
, in Dok Nuer territory, is in a key position in the block.
On the east of the Nile the southern part of Zeraf island lies in Block 5a, populated mostly by Thiang Nuer.
Geologically, Block 5A is located in the Muglad Basin
Muglad Basin
The Muglad Basin is a large rift basin in Northern Africa. The basin is situated within southern Sudan and covers an area of approximately 120,000 km2. It contains a number of hydrocarbon accumulations of various sizes, the largest of which are the Heglig and Unity oil fields...
, which extends from South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
north into Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and is rich in oil deposits.
The Thar Jath field in Block 5A has an area of 54 square kilometres (20.8 sq mi).
Reserves at the Thar Jath field are said to be 250 million barrels.
Mala field was expected to start production with 10,000 bpd in 2007 which would go up to 20,000 bpd by 2008.
Mala was thought to have 44 million barrels of reserves.
Oil has also been found in Jarayan field.
Struggle for control
Sudan was in a state of civil war for most of the years following independence in 1956, apart from a temporary respite between 1972 and 1983.After hostilities resumed, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) captured Leer from the government in March 1986, and the town became a stronghold of the rebel commander Riek Machar
Riek Machar
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
, who had been born there.
In August 1991 Riek Machar broke away from John Garang
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior was a Sudanese politician and rebel leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War, and following a peace agreement he briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan from January 2005 until he died in a July 2005...
's mainstream branch of the SPLM/A.
Machar's breakaway faction was called the SPLM/A-Nasir faction from 1991 to 1993, and then the South Sudan Independence Army (SSIA) from 1994 to 1997.
In 1996 Riek signed a Political Charter and in 1997 the Khartoum Peace Agreement
Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997
The Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997 was an agreement made on 21 April 1997 between the Khartoum-based government of Sudan and various militia leaders from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
with the government.
Riek was made commander in chief of the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF), which included most of the ex-rebels who had signed the Khartoum agreement. His forces controlled Block 5A.
The swampy and inaccessible region had no strategic value to the Khartoum government before the approach of the pipeline that was built from Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
on the Red Sea to Heglig
Heglig
Heglig is a small town in West Kurdufan state in central Sudan, near the border with Southern Sudan. The area was contested during the Sudanese Civil War...
, not far to the north.
The 1540 kilometres (956.9 mi) underground pipeline opened in 1999.
In 1998, oil exploration began to ramp up in the Block 5A concession area, and Paulino Matiep's South Sudan Unity Movement (SSUM) militia began pushing civilians out. There was growing tension between Riek Machar's SSDF and Paulino Matip's SSUM. Both groups wanted the rewards from providing security to the oil companies.
In 1998–1999, Paulino's fighters and government troops clashed several times with Riek's forces in a struggle for control of the Unity state oilfields.
Peter Gadet
Peter Gadet
Peter Yak Gadet is a former Sudan People's Liberation Army general who is now the leader of the South Sudan Liberation Army , the largest rebel movement in South Sudan....
led Paulino Matiep's militia as they marauded through Block 5A in early 1999.
His fighters forced Tito Biel
Tito Biel
Tito Biel Chuor was a high-ranking commander in the South Sudan Defense Forces during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
, a high-ranking SSDF commander, to evacuate Leer.
By April 1999 Tito Biel's SSDF forces in Western Upper Nile were cooperating with the Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
(SPLA) forces in Bahr el Ghazal
Bahr el Ghazal
The Bahr el Ghazal is a region of western South Sudan. Its name comes from the river Bahr el Ghazal.- Geography :The region consists of the states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, and Warrap. It borders Central African Republic to the west...
, who were supplying arms.
On arrival in Yirol
Yirol
-Location:It is located in Yirol West County, Lakes State, in central South Sudan. Its location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the largest city in South Sudan and the capital of that country. The coordinates of Yirol are: 6° 33' 36.00"N, 30° 30' 36.00"E .-Overview:Yirol is a small...
early in May 1999 Tito formally declared that he had switched to the SPLA, along with his officers and men.
In September 1999 Peter Gadet also mutinied, going over to the SPLA. On 29 September 1999 Gadet shelled Paulino's base of Mayom, causing flight of civilians to Block 5A in the east of the state.
For several months after September 1999 Tito coordinated with Gadet in attacking various oil-related targets in Unity State.
With the end of the civil war in January 2005 the fighting died down. However, security problems continue.
After the April 2010 elections, Colonel Gatluak Gai
Gatluak Gai
Gatluak Gai was a member of the Sudan People's Liberation Army who rebelled and formed a separate militia after the April 2010 elections in South Sudan...
of Koch County
Koch County
Koch County is an administrative division of Unity State, South Sudan, covering an area in the center of the state.The administrative center is the town of Koch.Large villages include Dhor Wang, Thorial, Duar, Wath-Thier and Bieh....
in Block 5A was dissatisfied with the results and rebelled.
He eventually made peace with the SPLA in July 2011, but was killed three day later.
On 11 April 2011 Gatluak Gai's son-in-law, Major General Peter Gadet, now of the "South Sudan Liberation Army", published the "Mayom Declaration". He denounced government by the "current corrupt gangs in Juba" and called for the government of Southern Sudan to be replaced by a national broad-base transitional government.
Gadet began an assault on the SPLA in Unity state, leaving at least 45 people dead.
According to the military, 20 of the victims were southern army soldiers.
Oil field development and production
The Chevron CorporationChevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
prospected for oil in Block 5A, and in 1982 reportedly found oil about fours hours walk northwest of Koch.
However, Chevron stopped oil exploration after three of their expatriate oil workers were killed by rebels in February 1984.
After the resumption of exploration and development, on 6 February 1997 the Sudanese Government granted the block 5A concession to a consortium of Lundin Oil of Sweden, OMV of Austria, Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
of Malaysia and Sudapet
Sudapet
The Sudan National Petroleum Corporation, also known as Sudapet, is a state-owned oil company based in Sudan. It was founded in 1997 and is 100% owned by the Ministry for Energy and Mining....
of Sudan.
Lundin's 40.375% stake was held by their Canadian subsidiary International Petroleum Corporation (IPC).
OMV agreed to purchase their 27.5% interest in the Block 5A project on 3 June 1997. Petronas already had a pending assignment of a 30% interest.
In 2002, Lundin and Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest petroleum SB companies. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Talisman Energy has operations around the globe including: Canada and the United States of America in North America; Colombia and Peru in South America; Algeria in North Africa; United Kingdom,...
swapped some of their assets, but the Lundin family kept control of their block 5A assets.
Block 5A was the main asset of Lundin Oil's successor Lundin Petroleum
Lundin Petroleum
Lundin Petroleum is an independent international petroleum company formed in 2001 and based in Sweden.-History:The company was formed in 2001 following the takeover of Lundin Oil AB by Canadian independent Talisman Energy, Lundin Petroleum AB is a Swedish oil company traded on the Stockholm Stock...
between 2001 and 2003.
In 1998 the consortium established a drilling site at Ryer, in Jagei Nuer territory, near the port of Thar Jath
Thar Jath
Thar Jath is a community in Koch County, Unity State, South Sudan.Thar Jath was chosen as a base by the consortium that developed the Block 5A, South Sudan concession, naming the oil field "Thar Jath" after the town....
on the Nile. In 1998 they built an unpaved road from Bentiu
Bentiu
-Location:Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the International border with the Republic of Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Bentiu sits on the southern banks of the Bahr...
to the north via Duar and Guk to Ryer and Thar Jath.
They gave little work to the local people, but brought in hundreds of Arab and Chinese laborers.
The consortium undertook seismic tests, and by October 2000 had acquired over 1485 kilometres (922.7 mi) of data.
The first exploration well at the Thar Jath field was spudded on 7 April 1999, expected to reach the Cretaceous Bentiu and Darfur sandstones at a depth of around 3200 metres (10,498.7 ft) in four to six weeks.
In May 2000, Lundin suspended operations after rebels attacked the Thar Jath rig and killed three government employees.
They resumed in March 2001 after the local population had been forcibly removed, but halted once more in January 2002.
According to a Lundin report: "... in view of increasing instability in the area, to ensure maximum security for its personnel and operations, the Consortium decided to suspend seismic and drilling activities on Block 5A as a precautionary measure".
In March 2003, Lundin said there had been "positive developments in the peace process and the improved conditions in its concession area" and said that it was planning to undertake infrastructure work "as a first step towards an eventual recommencement of activities".
In June 2003 Lundin Petroleum completed sale its working interest in Block 5A to Petronas Carigali for USD 142.5 million.
In August 2003 ONGC Videsh (OVL) of India was given approval to acquire the 26.125% stake owned by OMV in Block 5A.
On 2 September 2003 OVL bought OMV's stake in Blocks 5a and 5B for $135 million.
In 2006 White Nile Petroleum Operating Co started production at the Thar Jath field in Block 5A.
The company was now jointly owned by Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
of Malaysia (68.9%), ONGC Videsh of India (24.1%) and Sudapet
Sudapet
The Sudan National Petroleum Corporation, also known as Sudapet, is a state-owned oil company based in Sudan. It was founded in 1997 and is 100% owned by the Ministry for Energy and Mining....
of Sudan (7%).
The initial rate of production was 40,000 bbl/day, expected to rise to 54,000 bbl/day by 2009 and then to decline to 39,000 bbl/day in 2011.
Crude oil from the field is treated at a new central processing facility, then transported via a new 172-kilometer pipeline to a pump station in Heglig
Heglig
Heglig is a small town in West Kurdufan state in central Sudan, near the border with Southern Sudan. The area was contested during the Sudanese Civil War...
owned and operated by Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company
Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company
The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company is a petroleum exploration and production company operating in Sudan. It was incorporated on 18 June 1997 and undertook construction of the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline which links Sudan's inland oil fields with refineries at Khartoum and Port Sudan.The...
(GNPOC).
From there it is carried by GNPOC's 1542 kilometres (958.2 mi) pipeline to Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
on the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
.
A 2005 estimate of total development effort for Thar Jath field was US$311 million.
Assuming a Brent price of US$25 per barrel, that would give an Internal Rate of Return of just over 22%.
Human impact
Unlike other oilfields in Sudan, there was no forcible displacement of the civilian population until about 1998, when the consortium led by Lundin Oil started exploration.At that time a government-supported Nuer militia under Major General Paulino Matiep began attacking communities in Block 5A, including Leer. Residents fled to the marshes, where many died of malaria.
The Khartoum government wanted to clear all civilians away from the oil facilities, roads and pipeline. Riek Machar's less violent approach was rejected.
In the region around the Ryer/Thar Jath headquarters, the population was forced to leave with little notice in 1998, taking only their cattle. Their houses were destroyed.
Between June 1997 and November 1998 fighting between factions in the Nhialdiu area caused about 70% of the population to flee to Bentiu
Bentiu
-Location:Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the International border with the Republic of Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Bentiu sits on the southern banks of the Bahr...
and Mankien
Mankien
Mankien is a community in Unity state in South Sudan. With a key location near the oil fields, the town changed hands more than once during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
.
In early 1998 villages around Nhialdiu
Nhialdiu
Nhialdiu is a large village in Unity State, South Sudan, about to the southeast of Bentiu.Nhialdiu is in Bul Nuer country.-Civil war:The village is at a strategic junction of dirt roads....
were looted and destroyed. The health center in Nhialdiu was destroyed.
In May 1998 Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
began an emergency program to assist 25,000 people in Unity State displaced through insecurity.
In June 1998 Duar
Duar
Duar is a large village in Koch County, Unity State, South Sudan. It is on the main oil road leading south from Bentiu, and is close to the Thar Jath Central Processing Facility in the Block 5A oil concession.The village is in a Jagei Nuer region....
town was attacked. The Medecins Sans Frontieres
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
compound was burned and destroyed, as were the school and the community offices. Paulino's forces raided cattle camps, killing the animals for food. Many of the population fled, some to islands in the Nile where they felt they would be safe. Paulino's forces raided the area around Koch
Koch, South Sudan
Koch is a community in Unity State, South Sudan, headquarters of Koch County.The community lies in Jagei Nuer territory.It is within the Block 5A oil concession...
three times in 1998, destroying chapels, clinics, schools and government buildings. Again, those who could escape did so.
Sudanese government troop arrived near Leer in April 1998, but SSDF forces kept them from entering the town.
In June, July and August Paulino Matiep's forces attacked Leer, looting and destroying houses and buildings such as the hospital, NGO compounds and churches.
After the attacks, the WFP said that Leer had become a ghost town.
According to a WFP representative: "Over the past months thousands of people have fleed without food or belongings. They've been forced to hide for days in the surrounding swamps and outlying villages, living in constant fear and surviving on just water lilies [a wild food] and fish. Their own villages have been burned down and their grain stores have been looted".
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs defined Unity State as being an area of acute emergency, the worst possible classification.
A major government operation began in block 5A in early 2002 after a Lundin helicopter had been shot down.
Civilians along the oil road were the main target, and again there were many casualties and many were forced to flee. Despite a cease-fire agreement, in April 2003 the government opened another offensive in Block 5A. Soon after, Lundin sold its interest in the concession.
A study of Landsat data between 1999 and 2004 showed major shifts in land use that closely corresponded to reports of fighting in the block. Between 1999 and 2002 most farming activity stopped in the bands that extended 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) on each side of the newly built oil roads. Traditional farming areas were abandoned and there was a gradual drift of farming activity towards the south and west. By 2002 there was no sign of any farming activity around Nhialdiu, where a series of village attacks had been reported for the last three years.
Reports of attacks by government forces in the period from January to April 2002 in Western Upper Nile (Unity State) said Antonov bombers, helicopter gunships, horsemen and Government of Sudan ground forces and militia were involved. Many civilians were killed.
A report published by the International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
on 10 February 2003 described a renewed push to clear the road south from Bentiu
Bentiu
-Location:Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the International border with the Republic of Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Bentiu sits on the southern banks of the Bahr...
to the port of Adok
Adok
Adok is a port on the White Nile in Jonglei State, South Sudan.In the early 1980's Chevron Corporation found oil in Adok.Adok had strategic value during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
on the Nile.
It said "The offensive from late December until the
beginning of February was an extension of the government’s long-time strategy of depopulating oilrich areas through indiscriminate attacks on civilians in order to clear the way for further development of infrastructure. Eyewitness accounts confirm that the tactics included the abduction of women and children, gang rapes, ground assaults supported by helicopter gunships, destruction of humanitarian relief sites, and burning of villages.
Environmental impact
Examination of Landsat images in 2006 showed that the all-weather roads built to access the oil fields have disrupted the drainage patterns of the marshes.A blockage more than 8 kilometres (5 mi) was first seen in 2003 to the north of the Thar Jath oil field.
Given that the field is just 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Nile and that there is a risk of oil contamination, this is a serious concern. On 8 November 2004 a thick black cloud with a 13 km black fane was visible in the Thar Jath oil field, possibly indicating a blowout and resultant oil spill.
In March 2008 there were reports that children in Koch had died from drinking contaminated water. Local officials said that over 1,000 people were suffering from unknown illnesses.
Large amounts of saline water are injected into the sub-surface around the oil reservoirs to maintain oil pressure, and this can cause health problems if people drink the water. Witnesses also said that toxic waste was being dumped into pits in the dried swamp, which would flood into the marshes in the rainy season.
In November 2009 the German NGO Sign of Hope reported that in the village of Rier, close to the Thar Jath Central Processing Facility, there were critical levels of salts and contaminants such as cyanides, lead, nickel, cadmium and arsenic. This water can cause serious health problems.
The pollution was also affecting the Sudd
Sudd
The Sudd , also known as the Bahr al Jabal, As Sudd or Al Sudd, is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile. The word “sudd” is derived from the Arabic word “sadd”, meaning “block.” The term has come to refer to any large solid floating vegetation island or mat...
wetlands, deemed to be of international importance under the Ramsar convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Controversy
A report by Human Rights Watch published in 2003 claimed that Lundin and other oil companies had deliberately ignored the violent methods the Sudanese government had used to clear land for the companies' activities.The report said "Human Rights Watch believes that the companies in the two oil consortiums during the 1998-2002 period covered in this report, Talisman
Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest petroleum SB companies. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Talisman Energy has operations around the globe including: Canada and the United States of America in North America; Colombia and Peru in South America; Algeria in North Africa; United Kingdom,...
(Blocks 1, 2 and 4) and Lundin (Block 5A), and their partners CNPC, Petronas and OMV, have benefitted from the government's continued abuses of human rights".
There was an outcry in Sweden, and Lundin sold its stake to Petronas.
In their 2006 Annual Report, Lundin emphasises that they paid strict attention to international norms related to human rights, and that they implemented a Community Development and Humanitarian Assistance Program to assist local communities in obtaining water supply, health care and education.
Talisman Energy, a Canadian company, had already been subject to a critical report prepared for the Canadian government in 2000, although it denied knowing of any human rights abuses.
In October 2002, Talisman announced that it was selling its interests in Sudan to ONGC Videsh.
The Talisman President said "Shareholders have told me they were tired of continually having to monitor and analyse events relating to Sudan".
OMV eventually closed the deal to sell its stake to ONGC in May 2004, backdated to 1 January 2003.
In June 2010, a Swedish public prosecutor said an inquiry was being opened into whether any of Lundin's Swedish employees broke the law. The investigation was triggered by an 8 June 2010 report published by the European Coalition on Oil in the Sudan, an NGO based in the Netherlands.
The report claims that Lundin's decision to explore and then extract oil from Block 5A started the war for control of the area. The report asserts that Lundin contributed material used in the war and cooperated with the forces responsible for many of the crimes.
Lundin denied the allegations.
The investigation is sensitive because Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
, Swedish Foreign Minister, was a board member during the years when the alleged abuse occurred.
OMV, which is 31% owned by the Austrian government, was also implicated by the report.
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