Khartoum Using Cheap Oil to Expand Its Clout
Sudanese Episcopal Panel Warns of Fallout
Joseph K. Grieboski
President
Institute on Religion and Public Policy, Inc.
www.religionandpolicy.org
KHARTOUM, Sudan, AUG. 7, 2001
(ZENIT.org-Fides).— The
Khartoum regime is seeking to increase its influence on
neighboring states by selling oil at low prices and
investing the profits in other African countries.
Following a protest by the bishops of southern Africa,
regarding Pretoria's investment in Khartoum's oil industry,
the Justice and Peace Task Force of the Sudan Catholic
Bishops' Regional Council denounced the Kenya's decision to
buy cheap Sudanese oil.
The task force stressed that oil revenues help fuel the
Islamic government's war on the Christians and animists in
Sudan's south.
Kenya, the bishops warn, will not only have "cheap oil but
also large numbers of Sudanese refugees driven away from
their homes in Sudan's southern oil region."
In early July, Kenya announced it had agreed to import oil
from Sudan. Local companies have already signed contracts
with their Sudanese counterparts. Kenya has also asked for
funds from the Sudanese government to relaunch its sugar
industry.
Ethiopia was the first country in the region to reach an oil
agreement with Sudan. A contract was signed June 15 for an
annual supply to Addis Ababa of 120,000 tons of gasoline and
36,000 tons of kerosene.
To speed up fuel delivery, in compliance with the contract,
Ethiopia will build its own depot in Sudanese territory.
Ethiopia has already begun using Port Sudan for its
export-import traffic. This has enabled Ethiopia to sidestep
Eritrea, which after the 1998-2000 border war, closed its
ports to Ethiopia.
This drawing closer between Ethiopia and Sudan comes after
years of tension, particularly after the 1995 assassination
attempt against Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak,
on a visit to Addis Ababa, was attributed to a
Khartoum-supported group.
Oil profits are used by Khartoum to increase its military
potential. Recently, thanks to Chinese aid, three new arms
and ammunitions factories were built near Khartoum.
China has considerable oil interests in Sudan. The China
National Petroleum Company expects to triple oil production
abroad by 2005, thanks to oil extraction in Sudan. The
company is joining Canadian, Malaysian, Russian and,
indirectly, French and Italian oil companies already present
in Sudan.
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