Civil society welcomes probe into war crimes committed in Unity State

The Civil Society Coalition on Natural Resources (CSCNR) has welcomed the move by Austrian prosecutors to open up investigation against OMV AG former executive for complicity in war crimes in Block 5A of Unity State.
Members of civil society coalition poised for a photo in Bentiu

By Simon Deng

The Civil Society Coalition on Natural Resources (CSCNR) has welcomed the move by Austrian prosecutors to open up investigation against OMV AG former executive for complicity in war crimes in Block 5A of Unity State.

Gizam Moses, the Programme Officer of Civil Society Coalition on Natural Resources, said in a statement issued on Wednesday in Bentiu that all the entities that operated alongside Lundin Energy Company are suspects in the trial.

“They satisfactorily understood such scheme was to involve use of violence and human rights abuses by the forces, but willingly graced the operations,” said Moses.

He noted that Lundin Energy Company between 1997 to 2003 during insurgency asked the Sudanese government to secure the area for oil production to flourish as it battled the then rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

“Consequently, government forces and allied militia groups committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations informs of systematic targeting of civilians, indiscriminate bombing, killing and injuring civilians, destruction of private property such as cattle, abduction of civilians, torching of huts, plunder, and forced displacement on wider margin,” said Moses.

Ann Reagan Tut, youth representative in Unity State said that they are relieved that justice shall be served to the perpetrators.

“This shall oblige as a warning to any company that would intend to violate the human rights of communities in oil producing areas,” said Tut.

John Manyiew Nhial, Member of Parliament in Unity State Legislative Assembly, said the collection and dissemination of crucial information to the communities by civil society is very important especially about the new request for indictment in Austria.

“It is the hope of the people of Unity State that justice shall be delivered and the victims shall have their rights to remedy addressed,” he said.

In 2018, the prosecutors in Sweden indicted two former Executives of Lundin Consortium Alex Sniether and Ian Lundin for complicity in war crimes.

This came after several investigations concluded that the suspects were at the helm of the operations of Lundin Energy Company and had most of the rights violations at their requests.

The trial commenced in September 2023 with the victims arguing for their rights to remedy to be granted.

On April 23rd 2024, Austrian Centre for the Enforcement of Human Rights International (CEHRI) and the Dutch Peace Movement PAX submitted a criminal complaint against former senior executives of OMV AG for aiding and abetting war crimes.

OMV AG was a member in the consortium of international oil companies alongside Lundin and Petronas that operated in Block 5A in Unity State.

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