Civil society leaders in South Sudan are closely watching a legal battle unfolding in Sweden, as prosecutors investigate an oil company accused of involvement in massive human rights abuses.

Sudan is demanding $15 billion in compensation for lost oil revenues after South Sudan’s independence and doesn’t want the African Union to mediate negotiations with the south, said Pagan Amum, South Sudan’s chief negotiator.

South Sudan has proposed to offer north Sudan a "package" to resolve the deadlock in the ongoing post-independence negotiations on southern oil transportation, a senior member of the ruling party said.

The 1996-2005 wars over control of Sudan’s oil fields caused unspeakable suffering to the population. As part of its justice-and-peace agenda, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) established an entitlement to compensation for people whose rights have been violated during the oil wars. But no justice has been done. Meanwhile, inhabitants are disgruntled and angry with the oil industry. Their grievances must be addressed. A domestic legal process would be unrealistic. Therefore, the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan calls upon the parties to the post-referendum negotiations to confirm their people’s unalienable right to compensation and to agree to international arbitration to ensure that justice will be done.

The negotiations to settle Sudan’s divorce are underway. Being focused on finances and the economy, these negotiations are unlikely to produce a truly comprehensive agreement. Instead, some of the thorny issues may not be settled before 9 July, while others are likely to be ignored all together. The right to compensation for victims of oil contracts is one of these.

Report on the 2-day conference 'Sudan's Oil Industry after the Referendum' held in Juba, December 2010.It contains recommendations with regards to the post-referendum arrangements, petroleum policy, company-community relations, compensation, transparency, security, land rights and the environment.

ECOS is pleading for a straightforward fee-for-service model, and urges the parties to resolve the oil industry’s painful legacies, including environmental degradation and damages to the communities in the oil areas during and after the war.

Article published by Le Monde on the role of Lundin Petrouleum in Sudan - in French

With the Sudanese referendum this week, Nnimmo Bassey looks back at Nigeria's civil war in 1967, what is at stake for South Sudan and the role of oil in the region.

The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) met with Unity State authorities to discuss a number of challenges faced by the state citizens settling in the areas of oil exploration. NPA will focus on environmental issues, employment and capacity building with people most affected by the oil companies.