Africa

Nigerian Oil Workers Plan Three Day Strike in Protest of Unfair Labor Practice

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s two oil unions are planning to start a three-day strike this week to protest what they say are the unfair labor practices of the oil sector. The Unions are also planning to put pressure on the Nigerian government to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), a bill that experts believe is unlikely to pass before February’s elections. The strike is being organized by The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and has been described as a “warning strike” intended to remind the Nigerian government, as well as the oil sector as a whole, of the power held by the Nigerian oil worker.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of crude oil. While the sector makes up the largest proportion of the Nigerian economy, the sector has had a devastating impact on the Nigerian Environment with oil workers put at risk. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

The union alleges that the industry has failed to recognize and reach adequate collective bargaining agreements, failed to restate wrongly terminated employees and failed to promote qualified workers in the industry among other concerns. The union also alleged that oil workers have faced unfair victimization by their employees. The Union also alleges high levels of corruption within the Nigerian government, essentially in regard to the issues of oil theft and vandalism which has had a devastating effect on Nigeria’s environment and places oil workers at risk. PENGASSAN alleges a high level collaboration between agencies, politicians and highly placed Nigerians in the buccaneering racket of oil and gas installations, adding that the ugly trend signifies a looming extinction of the oil and gas industry with attendant job losses.

The strike follows the end of a 14-day ultimatum issued by the National Executive Council (NEC) of PENGASSAN to the federal government and other concerned employers’ and agencies in the oil sector. The NEC said the ultimatum had expired without any meaningful resolution or commitment from either the government or the concerned employers’ and agencies at resolving the issues. A statement issued by the oil workers union said all organs of the union have been fully mobilized for the strike actions which they say will affect every value chain in the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas industry.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of oil as well as the continent’s largest economy. Oil wealth from crude oil production accounts for 70% of the government’s revenue and 95% of the foreign exchange income. The majority of the country’s oil is extracted by major foreign corporation with more than 80% being pumped by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Total SA and Eni SpA in joint ventures with state-owned NNPC.

Speaking from Lagos, Nigeria’s industrial capital, Babatunde Oke, a spokesman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, said by phone from Lagos, said the exact timing of the strike will be announced once all plans are finalized. “Oil workers have concluded plans to shut down all oil and gas installations in the country due to the anti-labor activities of some employers,” Oke said in an earlier statement.

For more information please see:

All Africa – Nigeria: PENGASSAN to Embark on a Three-Day Warning Strike Over Non-Passage of PIB – 8 December 2014

Bloomberg – Nigeria Oil Unions Plan Three-Day Strike Over Labor Practices – 8 December 2014

Reuters – UPDATE 1-Nigeria oil bill unlikely to pass before Feb election – finance min – 18 November 2014

BBC News – Nigeria Profile –5 November 2014

Life imprisonment for homosexuals in The Gambia

By Ashley Rep

News Desk Reporter, Africa

 

Banjul, The Gambia-

The Gambia, a small, landlocked country in Africa, has long had some of the strictest anti-gay laws on the books. This fall though, the already oppressive laws that loom over the gay community in The Gambia, worsened.   A new law, signed by President Yahya Jammeh, provides that ‘aggravated homosexuality,’ is now an offense that carries a sentence of life imprisonment.

Senegal Gays In Exile
Alhaji, 21 (last name withheld), fled to Senegal to escape persecution (photo courtesy of Huffington Post)

The law is targeted at repeat offenders and those who are suspected of being homosexuals and have HIV/AIDS. The language of the law is vague and broad, which compounds the problem of the law’s already expansive reach and devastating effect. In addition to repeat offenders and HIV/AIDS positive individuals suspected of homosexuality, the term ‘aggravated homosexuality,’ appears to also apply to those who are suspected of engaging sexually with a minor, as well as those who are suspected of homosexuality and have a minor in their care. The homosexual community in The Gambia already lives in fear of hate crimes, exclusion, and punishment for their sexual orientation, but with this law now in effect, there is life imprisonment to worry about.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the new law and the treatment of homosexuals in The Gambia generally, contending that this law exacerbates the oppression the community faces. President Barak Obama has called the law ‘odious,’ and urged President Jammeh to reassess these actions taken against homosexuals. No level of urging seems to sway President Jammeh, an autocratic ruler, who, just this past February, publicly announced “We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively” and in 2008 suggested that all homosexuals should leave the country or risk being beheaded.

Since November 7, state forces have stepped up efforts to crack down on homosexuality. Many individuals have been detained for questioning, and report having been threatened with a device to be inserted into the anus or vagina to determine sexuality. Torture is also a concern of rights groups, as many of the suspected are detained for extended periods of time. The state is also reportedly compiling a list of names for future questioning and detention.

The language of the new law almost exactly mirrors the anti-gay laws enacted in Uganda this past year, another extremely oppressive country in Africa for homosexuals and those suspected of homosexuality. The laws in Uganda were widely criticized, and were overturned on a technicality.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Gambia’s President Jammeh asked to reject anti-gay law– 10 Sept, 2014

The Guardian- The Gambia passes bill imposing life sentences for some homosexual acts– 8 Sept, 2014

Amnesty International- Gambia’s latest anti-gay bill– 18 Nov, 2014

Huffington Post- Gambia passes anti-gay bill imposing life imprisonment for some same-sex acts– 8 Sept, 2014

Pirate attacks in the Niger Delta; Government left to pay over $131 million in ransoms

By: Ashley Repp

News Desk Reporter, Africa

 

Abuja, Nigeria-

Though the international community began to associate piracy with the waters off of the coast of Somalia, the piracy practice is even more rampant off of the coast of West Africa. And while world piracy rates have largely fallen throughout most of the world, recently, the number of attacks on ships near Nigeria has increased. In the final days of last month, two attacks in the same week sent shock waves through the Niger delta region, and intelligence suggests that rate of attacks is likely to continue to rise, as elections are coming up. Intelligence sources assert that election time will likely contribute to increased rates of pirate attacks in the region, particularly because many of those campaigning will procure support and funds from illegal sources. In order to generate some of these funds, piracy will come into play as an economic resource.

pirates
Niger Delta Pirates- Photo Courtesy of Shipsandsports.com

In the two recent October attacks, over a dozen people were abducted, several were killed. In one of the attacks, the primary target was the gun boat, as it had a store of arms. In both of these cases, the pirates had more fire power than the police forces, and easily overpowered security. Furthermore, the ships were both oil company ships, which are typical pirate targets. In recent decades, piracy rose with rise of oil production in the Niger Delta, and then fell again. In fact, until the past few years, pirate attacks occurred on an almost basis. Many seafarers and security in the region are concerned that another spike in pirate attacks is at the doorstep of the Niger Delta, and the possibility of returning back to an era of daily pirate attacks is terrifying for many.

It is likely that the abducted men are being held as hostages. As they work for oil companies, the pirates offer equate holding these men hostages with a hefty ransom. According to the Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database, it has cost the Nigerian government and companies over $131 Million dollars in just the last three years alone to recover abducted men and pay pirate ransoms. This is no small price to pay for a government that already struggles financially, but with such high level oil drilling on Nigerian soil, piracy is likely to continue to remain a problematic and dangerous reality, not only for the government, but for those working on the ships and security boats.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Danger Zone: Chasing West Africa’s Pirates– 13 Nov., 2014

Times Live- Priates Hijack Gunboat, Kidnap Workers in Niger Delta– 28 Oct., 2014

Sahara Reporters- Niger Delta Pirates Seize Police Gunboat, Kill Four Policemen and Kidnap Six Oil Workers in Bayelsa– 25 Oct., 2014

gCaptain- Pirates Launch Deadly Niger Delta Attacks– 27 Oct., 2014

Report: Chinese Officials Linked to Elephant Poaching in Tanzania

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

DODOMA, Tanzania – Across Africa the population of the world’s largest land animal, the majestic African Elephant, have been declining an alarming rate. Experts believe 100,000 elephants have been killed across the continent in just past three years, all to feed the illegal Ivory trade. Growing demand for elephant ivory from in China is devastating Tanzania’s elephant population. Tanzania now loses more of its elephant to poaching than any other African State. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a London based environmental group, the country’s Selous reserve is a hotspot for illegal hunting. Elephant numbers in the park have fallen from an estimated 70,000 in 2006 to 13,000 in 2013. An EIA report places blame for the influx in ivory pouching in Tanzania on “collusion between corrupt officials and criminal enterprises,” accusing rangers, police officers and revenue and customs officers of corruption. According to Mary Rice, EIA’s executive director, the report “shows clearly that without a zero tolerance approach, the future of Tanzania’s elephants and its tourism industry are extremely precarious.” Rice explained, “The ivory trade must be disrupted at all levels of criminality, the entire prosecution chain needs to be systemically restructured, corruption rooted out and all stakeholders, including communities exploited by the criminal syndicates and those on the front lines of enforcement, given unequivocal support.”

An ivory bust of Mao Zedong for sale in Guangzhou, China this year. the Chinese demand for ivory drives elephant poaching, threatening the future of the species. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

Tanzania is the largest source of illegal Ivory, one out of every three elephants pouched in Africa is killed in Tanzania. The government of President Jakaya Kikwete has made some public efforts to fight poaching over the past year, including issuing a promise to destroy the nation’s stockpile of 112 metric tons of Ivory, worth an estimated $50 million. However, the government has failed to investigate the illegal pouching activities and prosecute high-level offenders.

State corruption drives Tanzania’s illicit ivory trade. Police have even been known to escort convoys carrying illegal ivory. The states corruption however does not at Tanzania’s borders. The EIA report cites several incidence where Chinese nationals, and even government officials have participated the illegal ivory trade. EIA cited the case of Yu Bo, a Chinese national who was detained in December 2013 while attempting to deliver 81 elephant tusks to two officers from a Chinese naval task force on an official visit to the Dar es Salaam port in the Kurasini region. Yu was caught at a checkpoint after paying bribes totaling $20,000. Market traders also told the undercover investigators that during a visit by Chinese president Xi Jinping in March 2013 the black market price of ivory doubled to $700 per kilo. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the report. “We attach importance to the protection of wild animals like elephants,” he said. “We have been cooperating with other countries in this area.”

Elephants are a migratory animal, roaming across international borders. Protections are only truly effective if they are enforced in all countries where the animals roam. Elephant conservation is not only a valuable opportunity for the protection of wildlife and environmental health but for economic opportunity. Elephants bring millions of dollars into the region’s economy each year, helping to drive the tourism industry. The demand for trinkets and other goods made from ivory, the only part of the elephant poachers take, is fueling a pouching epidemic that threatens the future of the species, environmental health and may threaten the future economic growth of the region.

For more information please see:

The Economist – Big game poachers – 8 November 2014

National Geographic, Q&A: Report Alleges Governments’ Complicity in Tanzanian Elephant Poaching – 8 November 2014

The Guardian – Chinese demand for ivory is devastating Tanzania’s elephant population – 6 November 2014

The Toronto Star – Report links Chinese to elephant poaching in Tanzania – 6 November 2014

Blood Diamonds and Dirty Gold: The Fuel That Flames War In the Central African Republic

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Managing Editor, Impunity Watch

BANGUI, Central African Republic –Gold, diamonds and other minerals from war zones may end up in every day products sold in the west from jewelry and kitchen supplies to laptops and smartphones. While the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme was established in 2003 to combat the sale of Conflict Diamonds, blood diamonds continue to reach the legal rough diamond market. According to a report published by a United Nations Panel, the sale of Conflict Diamonds, often known as Blood diamonds may be fueling the conflict in the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic was plunged into violent chaos when northern, mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized control of the majority Christian country in March of last year. The event sparked a violent backlash led by the largely Christian ‘anti-balaka’ militia. The sale of Diamonds, Gold and other minerals has created a funding pool for both sides in the ongoing conflict.  Last year, the Kimberley Process, which was established in response to the conflict-diamond crisis to prevent blood diamonds from entering the market and fueling conflict, imposed an export ban on raw stones from the Central African Republic. However, since the export ban was put into place an estimated 140,000 carats of diamonds, valued at $24 million, have been smuggled out of the country, According to a United Nations panel.

 

During a protest against French soldiers on A man gestures in front of a burning barricade during a protest against French soldiers in Bambari May 22, 2014 a man poses in front of barrels that had been set ablaze. (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

According to a Report published by the United Nations, a panel of experts concluded that the peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) in Central Africa should deploy peacekeeping troops to the remote northern region of the country and use drones to monitor the rebel-controlled region to put an end to simmering violence there. The UN panel stated that an estimated 3,000 people have been killed in the Central African Republic between December 2013 – when the United Nations Security Council imposed an arms embargo in response to ongoing violence in the country – and August this year.

Despite the embargo, The UN report found that there has been no progress in disarming rebel factions in the country since March of this year and that any hopes of achieving peace were being further complicated by splitting reported within both the former Seleka rebels and the anti-balaka militia. The Report said, “Competition among political representatives of armed groups for ministerial positions, as well as among military commanders for control of resources, accounts for of the recent infighting between former components of Seleka and rival factions of anti-balaka.”

On Tuesday the International Contact Group for the Central African Republic is due to meet in Bangui. The group is made up of representatives of the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, the United States, France and the Republic of Congo. Human Right Watch called on the group to publically call for an end to sectarian violence in the country.

“Ending the violence against civilians in the Central African Republic should be the top priority at the contact group’s first meeting in Bangui,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “This is a critical moment for international policy makers to say loudly and clearly that those who kill, torture, and rape will one day face a court of law. The time of impunity is over.”

For more information please see:

All Africa – Central African Peacekeeping Force Gears Up For Action – 10 November 2014

Human Rights Watch – Central African Republic: Urge End to Killings – 10 November 2014

United Nations News Centre – Central African Republic: UN Urges Support to Meet Basic Needs in Hard-Hit Province – 10 November 2014

Reuters – Gold, Diamonds Fuelling Conflict in Central African Republic: U.N. Panel – 5 November 2014