Another eventful week for Virunga National Park. A lot of information, headlines, news items, interpretations, mixed messages, sceptisism… All around the oil issue in this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage site. Complicated.

Is it about a withdrawing oil company or about redrawing the Park’s borders?

“A deal to protect Africa’s oldest national park from oil drilling could be undone by redrawing its boundaries, according to the British company with a licence to explore there.”, The Times, 11JUNE2014

 

 

 

The key parties involved announced the following:

Soco: http://www.socointernational.co.uk/soco-and-wwf-agree-way-forward-on-future-activity-

WWF: http://wwf.panda.org/?223211/Oil-company-Soco-not-to-drill-in-Virunga-World-Heritage-Site

 

The news came out as follows (a selection, 11/12JUNE2014):

BBC: “Virunga Park oil hunt in DR Congo halted”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27792031

 

The Guardian: “Soco halts oil exploiration in Africa’s Virunga National Park; British oil company bows to pressure and abandons drilling in volatile and biodiverse region of Democratic Republic of Congo”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/11/soco-oil-virunga-national-park-congo-wwf

 

The Independent: “British oil company SOCO agrees to cease operations in Congo’s Virunga National Park”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/british-oil-company-soco-agrees-to-cease-operations-in-congos-virunga-national-park-9523892.html

 

Huff Post: “Oil Company, WWF Agreement Could Prevent Drilling In Virunga National Park”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/11/virunga-national-park-oil-drilling_n_5482631.html

 

The Times: “Mountain gorillas in the midst of battle for oil in Africa’s oldest national park”

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4114929.ece

Note the following comment of Soco in this article: “A deal to protect Africa’s oldest national park from oil drilling could be undone by redrawing its boundaries, according to the British company with a licence to explore there.”

 

The Virunga Team and Global Witness remark:

“Soco International’s Latest Move in Virunga National Park Leaves More Questions than it Answers”

http://virungamovie.com/blog/details/8001/soco-internationals-latest-move-in-virunga-national-park-leaves-more-questions-than-it-answers

“Further questions raised by @virungamovie contributor Melanie Gouby in today’s Le Figaro and Soco’s funding of DRC Delegation to World Heritage Committee Meeting”

http://virungamovie.com/blog/details/8038/further-questions-raised-by-virungamovie-contributor-melanie-gouby-in-todays-le-figaro-and-socos-funding-of-drc-delegation-to-world-heritage-committee-meeting

“British oil company’s back-tracking on World Heritage Site looks like a ruse”

http://www.globalwitness.org/library/british-oil-company%E2%80%99s-back-tracking-world-heritage-site-looks-ruse

A deal to protect Africa’s oldest national park from oil drilling could be undone by redrawing its boundaries, according to the British company with a licence to explore there.

 

• Soco’s announcement indicating a pull-out from an iconic African park leaves too much wiggle-room
• Spirit of statement immediately undermined by Deputy CEO’s comments in the Times
• Soco must fully answer serious questions over corruption, arrests and violence

 

Earlier in June 2014, a Human Rights Watch report catalogued threats and violence against opponents of oil exploration by government security forces and other unknown individuals.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/04/dr-congo-investigate-attacks-oil-project-critics