traversing peoples lives

The report 'Traversing Peoples Lives' critiques the World Bank's financing of the Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project, documenting widespread community disruption in Cameroon. Key issues include the marginalization of indigenous Bakola/Bagyeli peoples, inadequate compensation for farmers, pollution of drinking water in multiple villages, the rise of child prostitution, and poor labor conditions. The authors conclude that the World Bank's safeguard mechanisms failed and that the project serves as a warning against public financing of large-scale fossil fuel projects.

• The Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project is a massive investment involving 300 oil wells in Chad's Doba region and a 1,070 km pipeline to the port of Kribi in Cameroon, with an estimated cost of US$3.7 billion and expected production of 225,000 barrels per day.
• The World Bank provided critical political risk insurance and financing for the project, despite warnings from NGOs and a leaked 1999 correspondence suggesting the Bank aimed to "buy time from critics" to ensure project approval.
• Indigenous 'pygmy' communities, specifically the Bakola/Bagyeli, have suffered hardship and discrimination, including the destruction of crops and medicinal plants without compensation and the failure of the Indigenous Peoples Programme (IPP) and its implementing organization, FEDEC, to begin operations.
• The project's compensation plan for farmers and landowners has been characterized by underpayment, intimidation, and the denial of claims for 'wild' trees, leaving some families impoverished.
• Pipeline construction has caused severe water pollution and loss of access to drinking water in several Cameroonian villages, including Mpango, Mbikiliki, Bidjouka, and Ebomé, leading to health issues such as diarrhoea and skin diseases.
• The project has triggered a rise in the prostitution of minors in rural areas along the pipeline route, exacerbated by an influx of male workers and a lack of health education and prevention programs for STDs and HIV-AIDS.
• Labor conditions for workers employed by subcontractors, such as Doba Logistics, have been poor, involving salary disputes, lack of social security, and the dismissal of workers following industrial accidents or strikes.

APA

Nguiffo, S. (2002). traversing peoples lives. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/traversing.pdf

Chicago

Nguiffo, Samuel. traversing peoples lives. Friends of the Earth International, 2002. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/traversing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nguiffo |first1=Samuel |title=traversing peoples lives |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=September 2002 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/traversing.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nguiffo2002traversing, author = {Nguiffo, Samuel}, title = {{traversing peoples lives}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2002}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/traversing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }