The United States, China and the Oil in Sudan and Chad

According to some estimates, Sudan has oil resources rivaling those of Saudi Arabia , as well as huge reserves of natural gas, uranium and copper. Of course, one cannot be confident of the existence of such rich oil resources without a more detailed geological survey, but the proven reserves have almost caused a new cold war to break out between the United States and China over the "black gold."
It is obvious that it is oil that is at the center of American interests in Sudan . However, in contrast to, for example, Saudi Arabia , the Sudanese government continues to maintain its independence from Washington where oil is concerned. Unable to control Sudan 's oil policy, the United States has—by introducing sanctions on the export of Sudanese oil—hindered development of the industry and, moreover, has exacerbated regional differences. It can be said that for two decades the United States has, one way or another, covertly and overtly, supported the separatist movement in southern Sudan , where large reserves of oil have been discovered. The long civil war drained the resources of the central government, and it adopted the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Not to belittle the importance of the humanitarian aid that the United States has provided to Darfur, it nonetheless should be recognized that it is oil, its proven and potential reserves, that is the object of particular concern to Americans in this troubled region.

The United States continues stubbornly to act as a neutral mediator and has, by more or less successfully playing the genocide card, retained its influence on the central government with the goal of obtaining greater oil concessions, at least in the future.

China in its turn has not concerned itself with humanitarian issues and, up to a point, has supplied Sudan with technologies for oil production and pipeline construction while buying oil in relatively large quantities.

What can China find attractive in Darfur —that sun-scorched, war-torn region? China 's huge and growing demand for oil has forced Beijing to conduct aggressive "dollar" diplomacy. With foreign exchange reserves exceeding $1.3 trillion in the Peoples' National Bank of China , Beijing has begun engaging in active petroleum geopolitics with Africa as its main target and the Sudan-Chad region as its highest priority region on the continent. There appeared the line "a new front in the cold war" for possession of the main oil reserves—a war begun between the United States and China right after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. So far, Beijing has played its cards more effectively than Washington . It is possible that Darfur will soon become the main field of battle for oil between the two giants.

Over the past few months, China has made a series of initiatives aimed at retaining control of the oil fields, even those that will be developed in the distant future, in one of the richest "black gold" regions in the world—the African continent.

China currently imports 30% of its crude oil from Africa . This explains the jump in Chinese foreign policy initiatives, which cannot fail to displease Washington . China provides interest-free loans to African nations, including Sudan , and uses its own funds to build roads, schools and hospitals, while the United States attempts to control the African economy through the World Bank and the IMF by setting harsh economic and political conditions. Not surprisingly, the Africans prefer to cooperate with China . In addition, whereas any American project in the field of construction, mining or production involves a long preparatory stage for infrastructure development to build restaurants and bars, schools and hospitals, hair salons and fitness centers for American workers, specialists and their family members, the unpretentious Chinese put up tents when they arrive and set to work the next day while establishing everything they need concurrently—barracks with showers and canteens.

China has already taken on the United States in Nigeria , the UAR, Angola and Mozambique by giving those countries loans and grants, starting in 2006, that are four times greater than those provided by the World Bank to all of sub-Saharan Africa for the same period. Now, China has set its sights on Sudan and Chad .

The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) located in Beijing is Sudan 's largest foreign investor; it has already invested $5 billion to develop several oil fields. Since 1999, China has invested over $15 billion in Sudan . It controls 50% of the oil refinery operations at plants near Khartoum .

Sudan's main oil reserves are concentrated in the south, and CNPC has already built an oil pipeline that runs from the region where several Chinese concessions are located to the Red Sea, ending at the new terminal of Port Sudan, where oil is loaded into tankers headed for China. China gets 8% of its oil from South Sudan . China receives 65 to 80% of the approximately 500 thousand barrels of oil recovered here daily. China has passed Japan to become the second largest importer of oil in the world after the United States , buying 6.5 million barrels of oil per day. In 2008, Sudan became China 's fourth largest source of foreign oil. China 's oil needs are growing by approximately 30% per year, and at that rate they will surpass the United States within a few years. That is what determines Chinese policy in Africa .

A close examination of the distribution of South Sudan oil concessions reveals that CNPC is capable of spreading throughout the entire oil producing region of South Sudan, which adjoins Darfur and is not far from the border with Chad and the Central African Republic . This is particularly important since in April 2005 the Sudanese government announced that oil deposits had been discovered in South Darfur that, it is estimated, will produce 500 thousand barrels per day once they come on stream. For some reason, that fact was, on the whole, ignored by the world press.

The Americans themselves believe that the solution to the problem in Darfur should be their immediate concern, since the United States is "responsible" for the crisis in the region, given that the United States must be the world's policeman and react to any violence no matter where it is discovered. However, that is not the only reason the United States is responsible for the Darfur crisis. Acting through its African allies in Sudan , Chad and neighboring countries, the United States trained and armed the SPLM, which until his death in July 2005 was led by John Garang, who underwent American Special Forces training at Fort Benning in Georgia .

By supplying weapons to South Sudan and, after the discovery of oil in Darfur, to that region also, Washington aggravated the long existing conflict, which has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and spawned millions of refugees. Eritrea , with U.S. support, has assisted the SPLM, the Eastern Front and the Darfur rebels.

In February 2006 the U.S. Senate adopted a resolution demanding the introduction of NATO troops and UN peacekeepers into Darfur with a clearly articulated mandate. A month later, President Bush also called for the deployment of augmented NATO units to Darfur . So, is it genocide or oil?

Over the years, the Pentagon has trained African military officers and military specialists in the United States (as it did for a long time for Latin American militaries). A special military education and training program was established for officers from Chad , Ethiopia , Eritrea , Cameroon and the Central Arab Republic , that is, a program for representatives of countries located close to or bordering on Sudan . Large quantities of American weapons, which fueled the situation in Darfur and in the south, have been taken across the borders by private merchants. American humanitarian aid to Africa has been cut back in recent years, while military assistance (arms, equipment and training) has escalated. There is no doubt that the main reason for this is oil and other strategic minerals. Washington learned that the region of Sudan from the Upper Nile to the border with Chad is rich in oil long before it became known to the Sudanese government.

Already in the early 1970s, the American oil giants were aware of rich reserves of "black gold" in Sudan . George Bush Sr., who was the U.S. ambassador to the UN at the time, personally informed Sudan President Jaafar Nimeiri about satellite photos confirming the presence of oil in Sudan . In 1979, Nimeiri broke with the USSR and invited Chevron to develop oil production in the country. This may have been a mistake on his part, since the country has been in a permanent state of war since that time.

Chevron found large petroleum deposits in South Sudan . The company spent $1.2 billion to search for and test oil fields. The oil found set the stage for the start in 1983 of what is now called the Second Sudanese War. Chevron itself was repeatedly attacked by various rebel groups, and several of its employees were killed. In 1984 the corporation ceased operations, and in 1992 it sold its Sudanese oil concessions. In 1999, the Chinese appeared in the oil fields and began operating them with results that exceeded the highest expectations.

However, Chevron did not move far from Darfur . Very recently in neighboring Chad, together with other oil giants such as Exxon Mobile, it built a $3.7 billion oil pipeline that conveys 160 thousand barrels of oil per day from the Doba region in central Chad near Darfur through Cameroon to Port Kribi on the Atlantic Ocean for shipment to the United States.

To carry out these operations, the American oil companies have worked closely with Chadian "President for Life" Idriss Deby, the corrupt dictator who transferred American weapons to Darfur rebels. Deby joined the so-called Pan Sahel Initiative that is being carried out by the U.S. European Command and is aimed at training Africans for the "fight against Islamic terrorism." Here it should be noted that the majority of the Darfurians are Muslims.

Inspired by American military aid, knowledge and weapons, in 2004 Deby created turmoil in neighboring Sudan , which began the current conflict in Darfur . Deby provided the Darfurians who were fighting the central government with ground vehicles and weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles. Thus American military support for Deby in fact marked the beginning of a new phase in the Darfur crisis, which has turned into a blood bath.

It is entirely possible that the Washington-backed NGOs and the American government need the idea of genocide in order to be able to justify the incursion of NATO/UN troops into Darfur to establish control over the region's oil fields. If that is the case, it is oil and not human suffering that has kept U.S. interest in Darfur at a high level.

The beginning of the bloodiest part of the Darfur conflict coincides with the launch of the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline. The United States currently has a production base in Chad, and in principle, technically, once the political situation they are currently working to create becomes favorable, they will be able to begin development of the Darfur oil, possibly having somewhat pushed aside the Chinese. This last part will depend on who is the first to "stake out" a particular field.

The United States is moving steadily toward its goal in Darfur . Currently, the United States , along with NATO, which in essence also reflects U.S. interests, is providing air support to African Union forces in Darfur , which are officially described as "neutral" and performing a peacekeeping mission. Sudan 's three most "important" neighbors— Uganda , Chad and Ethiopia —have a sizable American military presence, and special American military programs are being implemented in each of those countries. The United States is also carrying out covert operations in Sudan , including training of rebel groups from South Sudan, Chad , Ethiopia and Uganda .

The construction of the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline is part of a great American scheme to gain control of Central Africa's oil wealth from Sudan to the Atlantic coast. Reading the situation correctly, Idress Deby began expressing dissatisfaction with his small share of the oil income and finally said that unless his share is increased, he will close down the oil pipeline and stop producing oil entirely. Therefore, when in early 2006 he needed funds to finance military operations and build up his army, the new World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz without long thought gave Chad a number of loans under terms favorable for an African country. After winning the general election in August of the same year, Deby formed a Chadian, that is, his own oil company, SHT, and threatened to expel Chevron and Malaysia's Petronas for "not paying taxes owed" after demanding a 60% share of pipeline proceeds. In the end, an agreement was reached, but events have shown that the situation in Chad 's oil industry is far from being fully controlled by the Americans. Deby has backed off his demands to some extent due partially to the increased internal opposition to his regime, which is based in Sudan and, in part, in Darfur: if the situation evolves along lines unfavorable to him, he will need U.S. assistance.

In this volatile environment, Chinese representatives showed up in Chad with a "suitcase full of money" and a determination to "help" the country. In August 2006 Beijing received Chad 's Minister of Foreign Affairs for talks and resumption of formal diplomatic ties, which were cut in 1997. China began importing oil from Chad in addition to Sudan . The imports are not yet at a significant level, but as commentators note, if China has decided to really get down to business the amount will soon be large.

In April 2009, Chad 's Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the talks with China over "greater China participation in Chad 's oil development" were progressing well. He called the terms under which the Chinese were offering a partnership much more favorable than those Chad had previously enjoyed.

It is interesting that the Chinese economic presence in Chad may turn out to be more effective in restraining the warring parties in both Chad and Darfur than the activities of the African Union and the UN. It is obvious that Washington and Chevron's headquarters will not welcome it when oil begins to flow in an unwanted direction.

Chinese policy in Chad and Darfur is just part of the Chinese program to gain control over African oil. At the same time, oil is the main factor in America 's current foreign policy strategy. It so happens that U.S. and Chinese interests overlap in areas with the greatest accumulation of "black gold." Darfur and Chad are an extension of America 's "Iraqi" policy for control of oil wherever possible. And also wherever possible, China will undermine this control, especially in Africa . The confrontation between the two countries is gradually turning into a new—and undeclared—cold war for oil.

Source: geopolitica.ru

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites