Britain’s Somalia war for oil, not humanitarianism

This 4 August 2015 video says about itself:

UK’s Soma Oil & Gas faces Somalia payments probe – Newsnight

A British oil company paid hundreds of thousands of dollars which went to senior Somali civil servants, according to a UN report seen by the BBC. UN investigators say the payments by Soma Oil & Gas amount in some cases to “acts that undermine Somali public institutions through corruption”. The Serious Fraud Office has launched an investigation into the allegations. The firm, which is chaired by former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, denies any wrongdoing. Gabriel Gatehouse has this exclusive story.

By Paddy McGuffin in Britain:

Britain accused of Somali oil grab

Sunday 26 February 2012

Britain is engaged in a secret oil grab in Somalia under the guise of humanitarian aid and security assistance, a Sunday newspaper alleged today.

Suspicions have long been held that – as with previous interventions in Iraq and elsewhere – Somalia‘s mineral reserves may be the main reason that Western powers have begun to focus so sharply on the situation in the war-torn east African country.

PM David Cameron hosted an international summit in London last week pledging more aid and the use of greater measures to tackle terrorism.

But the Observer said yesterday it had evidence that behind-the-scenes talks were proceeding between British and Somalian officials over the country’s oil.

The paper quoted Somalian Minister for International Co-operation Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi as saying: “We have spoken to a number of UK officials. Some have offered to help us with the future management of oil reserves.”

He also suggested the country was looking to British oil giant BP as a potential partner.

Chatham House analyst Adjoa Anyimadu warned that there was “already a lot of scepticism from parts of the Somalian community about the reasons for the sudden focus on Somalia” from countries such as Britain.

And Amnesty International said the London Conference on Somalia had not adequately tackled the dire human rights situation in the country which is threatening the lives of civilians including children.

Amnesty International’s Somalia researcher Benedicte Goderiaux said: “The recent surge in military operations increases civilians’ vulnerability to attacks and displacement and brings more arms into a country already awash with weapons.

“This is a lethal mix that could fuel further human rights abuses.

“At this conference we hoped to see more efforts to improve the safety of the Somali population.”

The Bishop of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu, Giorgio Bertini has said that the military intervention does not solve much concerning Somalia crisis: here.

Britain considers air strikes against Somali insurgents: here.

The international conference on Somalia, hosted by the UK last week, was aimed at shoring up the legitimacy and providing a veneer of respectability to the new government selected—not elected—in September: here.

A History of Violence: the BP Oil Spill Trial. Brentin Mock, Bridge the Gulf: “U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier decided that in the civil trial against BP for their oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil company’s history of accidents and poor safety records won’t be admissible as evidence…. Poor folks in New Orleans and across the Gulf who are the victims and the accused of crimes don’t have the luxuries of BP to have their histories buried. That is evidence alone that there is inequity in the justice system”: here.

BP chief Bob Dudley gets $1.6m payout for ‘turning around company’: here.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2012) — Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, are showing signs of severe ill health, according to NOAA marine mammal biologists and their local, state, federal and other research partners: here.

Related articles

• British conference to cement carve-up of Somalia (ismailwarsame.wordpress.com)
• What hope for peace? Greed, grievance and protracted conflict in Somalia (ismailwarsame.wordpress.com)
• British Somalis fear backlash after Kenya attack. (somaliswisstv.com)
• Canada, Oil, and Terrorism (dissidentvoice.org)