Oil company’s hand behind Congo army action

WHEN a British oil company began prospecting in Africa’s oldest national park, drawing worldwide concern and inspiring an Oscarnominated documentary last year, the company was adamant in denying any wrongdoing.

Though soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have engaged in a campaign of intimidation and coercion against residents who were opposed to drilling in the park, the company said it could not be held responsible for their actions.

“We can’t tell the army to go and kiss off,” Roger Cagle, the deputy chief executive director of the oil company, SOCO International, told The Telegraph newspaper. He said the soldiers had been assigned by the Congolese government to keep the company safe.

But according to documents obtained by Global Witness, an advocacy group, SOCO appears to have paid tens of thousands of dollars to an army officer who has been accused of leading a brutal campaign against those objecting to the company’s oil exploration in the Virunga National Park.

According to the documents, Major Burimba Feruzi received at least $42,250 in payments from a local bank account associated with SOCO — the equivalent of 30 years of his salary, according to Global Witness’s Congo team.

Copies of the cheques made out to Feruzi, who is no longer with the army, list the account’s name as “SOCO EXPL ET PROD BLOC V / GOMA”, an apparent reference to Goma, just south of the park.

Global Witness, which advocates transparency in mining, logging and energy, said it had obtained four separate cheques made out to Feruzi totalling $15,600. It also had a copy of his signed receipt for $26,650, dated April 30 2014.

“These documents show that despite SOCO’s repeated denials, the company has paid tens of thousands of dollars to an army officer accused of bribing and intimidating those trying to stop oil exploration in one of Africa’s natural treasures,” says Nathaniel Dyer, head of the Congo team at Global Witness. alleged acts of intimidation or violence,” the company says, noting that the payments are being investigated internally.

The battle over the fate of Virunga offers a chilling look at how the tug-of-war between the forces of economic development and environmental preservation can

SOCO appears to have paid tens of thousands of dollars to an army officer who has been accused of leading a brutal campaign

Picture: REUTERS Tourists follow a park warden as they track mountain gorillas in Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border town of Bunagana.