Further complaints against ReconAfrica
SOUL and IHRP contact Canadian Ombudsperson
In a precedent-setting case, two human rights organizations have contacted the Canadian Ombudsperson and filed a complaint against ReconAfrica. The Canadian oil company is violating human rights and must suspend its activities pending a full investigation.
Two human rights organisations have filed a complaint with the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) against Canadian oil company Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (ReconAfrica).The complaint was filed by the Namibian civil society consortium Saving Okavango's Unique Life (SOUL) and the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law.
"ReconAfrica's oil exploration activities have damaged homes, devastated subsistence crops and destroyed land, illegally and without the consent of local indigenous communities," said Rob Parker, an active member of SOUL. "They have demonstrated that they understand the impact of their actions on basic rights of local communities and protected species that are moving closer to extinction."
In 2019, ReconAfrica began oil exploration in the Kavango region under a drilling license covering 13 200 square kilometers. Parts of the ecologically highly sensitive Okavango Delta, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were also affected. The drilling activities were conducted without the consultation and consent of the local indigenous communities living on and off the affected lands.
The complaint alleges that ReconAfrica's activities resulted in violations of several international human rights, including the rights to health, water, food and adequate housing, and the requirement of free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples if their land is used for the extraction of resources or the storage of pollutants.
"We fear long-term damage if ReconAfrica continues its activities," said Max Muyemburuko, a member of SOUL and former chairman of the Kavango East and West Regional Conservancy. "The damage could be irreversible to both residents and wildlife populations."
"With this complaint, we call on the CORE to initiate a full investigation into past and ongoing human rights violations by ReconAfrica and to require ReconAfrica to cease its operations until appropriate consultation has been conducted and concerns addressed, reflected in demonstrable changes to its operations and policies," states James Yap, Acting Director of the IHRP, said in a joint press release from SOUL and the IHRP: "It is in Canada's national interest that Canadian companies be held accountable for their actions abroad. We call on the CORE to seize the opportunity and to investigate this matter, which falls squarely within his mandate."
The CORE, established by the Canadian government in April 2019, is tasked with reviewing complaints about possible human rights violations at Canadian companies operating abroad in the apparel, mining and oil and gas industries, according to the press release. “As of the release of CORE's Quarterly Investigations and Complaints Report for the third quarter of 2023-2024, the Ombudsperson has not yet received any complaints regarding Canadian oil and gas companies, making this complaint the first of its kind,” said SOUL and the IHRP.