NATO’s war of resources is causing a humanitarian crisis in West Africa

As millions suffer from hunger, disease, illiteracy and grinding poverty in the Lake Chad region of West Africa, a sinister game of resource extraction and exploitation is playing out, with geopolitics at the heart of it all.

by Eric Draitser

Part 3 - A Humanitarian Crisis and a Resource War

Sadly, most humanitarian crises in the world stem from politics and greed; the human tragedy unfolding in the Lake Chad region is no different. At the heart of the issue is oil.

In recent years, oil discoveries throughout the Lake Chad Basin have transformed how the states of West Africa view their economic future. At the heart of the basin is Lake Chad, surrounded by the countries of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. According to a 2010 assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Chad Basin has “estimated mean volumes of 2.32 billion barrels of oil, 14.65 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 391 million barrels of natural gas liquids.” The potential size of these resources has likely attracted the attention of political and business leaders, both in the region and internationally.

All of the countries surrounding the basin have expressed strong desire in recent years to begin exploiting the energy reserves there. However, until only very recently, Nigeria had been unable to do so due to the Boko Haram insurgency. E&P (Exploration & Production), a publication issued by Hart Energy, noted in March 2014:

“Hopes of stepping up oil exploration in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin have been dashed by the brutal attacks of Islamic Boko Haram and the Ansaru sect terrorists in the country’s northeastern region…Between 2011 and 2013, the Nigerian government provided 240 million dollars to facilitate oil and gas exploration activities in the Lake Chad Basin.”

So while Nigeria was forced to put the brakes on its oil exploration and development in the Chad Basin, its neighbors, particularly Chad, continued theirs. Nigeria has jump-started its exploration activities in Lake Chad just in the last few months, presumably thanks to progress that has been made in the fight against Boko Haram.

As Dr. Peregrino Brimah explained in 2014, “The Boko Haram insurgency has conveniently provided Chad, under the government of Idriss Déby, unfettered access to oil under Nigeria’s soils through 3D oil drilling from within its territorial borders, which the country exports.”

It seems that Déby has engaged in siphoning off Nigeria’s oil wealth and exporting it for massive profits for himself and his cronies. But of course, Chad is not alone in this endeavor, as it has company from Cameroon and Niger, both of whom are doing precisely the same thing.

The regional dynamic is key here, as fighting has spilled over the borders into neighboring Cameroon and Niger on numerous occasions. This is precisely the pretext that the U.S. and its European partners are using to become further involved militarily in the region.

Source and links:

http://www.mintpressnews.com/natos-war-of-resources-is-causing-a-humanitarian-crisis-in-west-africa/226049/

[1] [2] [4] [5] [6]

Comments

‘SHEER EVIL’: MASS PANIC As Israel BOMBS HOSPITAL & RESORT, ‘FLATTENS’ BEIRUT!!

Secular Talk

Πως οι δημοσκόποι χειραγωγούν την κοινή γνώμη υπέρ του καθεστώτος Μητσοτάκη

Ένα χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα του system failure Άλλο ένα τσουνάμι δημοσκοπήσεων σαρώνει τα μυαλά των Ελλήνων, το οποίο αναμένεται να δυναμώσει όσο πλησιάζουμε στις εκλογές και όσο τα νέα πολιτικά κόμματα θα μπαίνουν πιο βαθιά στο πολιτικό παιχνίδι. Υπάρχουν ουκ ολίγα παραδείγματα που δείχνουν ότι οι δημοσκοπήσεις στην ουσία χρησιμοποιούνται για να δημιουργήσουν το επιθυμητό κλίμα για το καθεστώς Μητσοτάκη, παρά για να μετρήσουν απλώς τις δυνάμεις των κομμάτων σε κάθε χρονική στιγμή. Θα θέλαμε όμως να σταθούμε σε ένα συγκεκριμένο ερώτημα που οι εταιρίες συμπεριλαμβάνουν στις ¨μετρήσεις¨ τους όλο και πιο συχνά και ειδικά μετά την εμφάνιση των κομμάτων Τσίπρα και Καρυστιανού στην πολιτική αρένα. Οι ερωτώμενοι λοιπόν καλούνται να απαντήσουν αν θέλουν "πολιτική αλλαγή" ή "σταθερότητα". Χωρίς να χρειάζεται περαιτέρω ανάλυση, είναι ξεκάθαρο ότι από μόνο του αυτό το μανιχαϊστικού τύπου ερώτημα, είναι ουσιαστικά η γραμμή του καθεστώτος για το τι σημαίνει σταθερότητα, που εί...

“Russia & China Preparing For War With The US!”

The Jimmy Dore Show Colonel Douglas Macgregor explains that as a result of recent military conflicts, Russia, China, and Iran have become allies, and that Beijing and Moscow have concluded that "if we let Iran fail, we're next on the menu" from what he describes as a "rogue state led by a rogue personality," meaning they will intervene to prevent Iran's collapse if the US threatens it. He tells Jimmy Dore that Putin called Trump for an hour and a half to make it clear that a military campaign in Iran would not succeed and would make the situation much worse, offering to store Iran's enriched uranium as a diplomatic gesture. Macgregor warns that if the US restarts the war, China could send 40 or 50 surface combatants and submarines to the Indian Ocean, and Russia could fly MiG-31s into Iranian airspace — not to provoke a direct confrontation but to "make a point." He concludes that the British Empire overreached and overextended with World War...

A response to misinformation on Nicaragua: it was a coup, not a ‘massacre’

There is so much misinformation in mainstream corporate media about recent events in Nicaragua that it is a pity that Mary Ellsberg’s article for Pulse has added to it with a seemingly leftish critique. Ellsberg claims that recent articles, including from this website, often “ paint a picture of the crisis in Nicaragua that is dangerously misleading. ” Unfortunately, her own article does just that. It looks at the situation entirely from the perspective of those opposing Daniel Ortega’s government while whitewashing their malevolent behavior and downplaying the levels of US support they have relied on. Her piece is an incomplete depiction of what is happening on the ground, ignoring many salient facts that have come to light and which have been outdated by recent events. The following is a brief response to Ellsberg’s main points from someone who lives in Nicaragua and has observed the situation directly and intimately: https://grayzoneproject.com/2018/08/15/a-res...

Billionaires are social distancing in super yachts as tens of millions lose jobs

Everyday, it becomes clearer: the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting poor, working, and marginalized communities the hardest. Millions of workers – especially low-wage retail, food service, hospitality, and care workers – have faced the terrible choice daily between going to work and risking their health, or staying home and risking their paychecks. Many other workers don’t even have that choice, with around 30 million people in the US filing for unemployment in the past six weeks. But billionaires don’t face these same problems. As tens of millions have lost their jobs over the past two months, billionaire wealth soared by a whopping $282 billion between March 18 and April 10, according to a new study from the Institute for Policy Studies. And while finding enough space to wait out the pandemic is something many struggle with, billionaires have been escaping to their second (or third, or fourth) homes to ride it out in luxury – all while they position themselves to ...

Προβλέψεις ...

GR elections Update (15/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις (μετά το δεύτερο debate): ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 28-30% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 11-13% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 2,5-3% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ + ΔΗΜΑΡ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (11/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις (μετά το πρώτο debate): ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 25-28% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 11-13% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 3,5-4% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ + ΔΗΜΑΡ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (04/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 23-25% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 12-15% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 3,5-4% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (29/8): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 23-25% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 12-15% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 4-4,5% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 4-4,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update : Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 26-27% ...

How Western societies lost their faith in Vision

Why people don't rise up massively today? Why there are no real revolutions? How we tolerate all things that have been imposed to us? These questions come up in people's minds more and more often today in Greece and abroad, due to the economic crisis. Some theories are circulated as an answer, among these, explanations which include, for example, the psychosynthesis of modern Greeks, but the truth is that there is something more fundamental behind this passive behaviour and concerns not only Greece, but the entire Western world. by system failure Prior to the beginning of the 20th century, Friedrich Nietzsche declares God's death and Western world will put all its hopes in science. Laplace's Determinism leads to the almighty man, who through science, can find all the answers for the world. Technology, which naturally comes from scientific discoveries, promises prosperity and a better life for the majority. Science becomes the central "pylon...

Iran ALREADY HAS A Nuclear Weapon – Says Inside Source!

The Jimmy Dore Show Guest host Garland Nixon interviews former intelligence analyst Larry Johnson about escalating tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, focusing on reports that Israel is not only urging Washington to abandon negotiations, but is also pressuring the U.S. to assassinate Iran’s lead negotiator. Johnson claims that Iran has withdrawn from talks with the U.S., may leave the nuclear non-proliferation framework, and could potentially conduct a public nuclear test to demonstrate deterrence capabilities, citing information he says came from intelligence sources. The discussion examines the strategic roles of Pakistan, China, and Russia in the region, as well as disputes over the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli military actions, and the prospects for a new Middle East security architecture independent of U.S. influence. The speakers argue that Israeli efforts to weaken Iran have instead strengthened Tehran's regional position and altered the geopolitical balan...

Οι ιδιώτες 'επενδυτές' ως η μόνη επιλογή για ανάκαμψη: άλλο ένα παραμύθι του νεοφιλελέ κατεστημένου

Άλλη μια 'ιερή αγελάδα' της νεοφιλελεύθερης χούντας που κανείς δεν επιτρέπεται ούτε καν να διανοηθεί να αμφισβητήσει του system failure Το Ελληνικό πείραμα διανύει ήδη τον έβδομο χρόνο του με την οικονομία ρημαγμένη και κανένα σημάδι ανάκαμψης στον ορίζοντα. Εκτός από την απόλυτη αποτυχία των νεοφιλελεύθερων πολιτικών που επιβλήθηκαν στην Ελλάδα από την Τρόικα της καταστροφής, έχει ενδιαφέρον κανείς να εξετάσει και τον τρόπο που τα νεοφιλελεύθερα αφηγήματα έχουν επηρεάσει σε μεγάλο βαθμό την κοινή γνώμη, με αποτέλεσμα να καταλήγουν αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι ενός στρεβλού ορθολογισμού μέσα στις κοινωνίες. Η διαδικασία αυτή γίνεται με όχημα, κυρίως, την προπαγάνδα και την πλύση εγκεφάλου από τα ΜΜΕ και το πολιτικό κατεστημένο. Ένα από τα κεντρικά κλισέ των φερέφωνων του νεοφιλελευθερισμού στην Ελλάδα και αλλού αφορά την απόλυτη αναγκαιότητα των ιδιωτών 'επενδυτών' για την ανάκαμψη της οικονομίας. Τα ιδιωτικά κυρίαρχα μίντια και το πολιτικό κατεστημένο κατ...

From Moscow to Beijing: Eye on good neighbors with deep people-to-people ties

CGTN Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his state visit to China. The bilateral meeting in Beijing has led to the extension of the 25-year-long Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, with high political mutual trust the backbone. Meanwhile, China and Russia issued a joint statement on promoting a multipolar world and a new type of international relations. What does the China-Russia relationship seriously mean to the two countries and to the world?

the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

Search This Blog