traversing peoples lives

The report details the negative impacts of the Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project in Cameroon, specifically focusing on the failure of World Bank safeguard measures. It documents systemic issues including discriminatory compensation for indigenous 'pygmy' communities, the impoverishment of small farmers through inadequate payments, the pollution of drinking water sources, and the rise of prostitution involving minors. Additionally, it highlights poor labor conditions and the dismissal of injured workers. The document concludes that the World Bank is unable to meaningfully influence oil companies to respect human rights and the environment, suggesting the Bank should withdraw from financing oil projects entirely.

• The World Bank acted as a critical political guarantor for the project, providing 'political risk insurance' that allowed the consortium to secure international capital, despite only financing 4% of the total cost.
• Indigenous 'pygmy' (Bakola/Bagyeli) communities have faced severe hardship and discrimination; the Indigenous Peoples Programme (IPP) managed by FEDEC had not started operations two years after project approval, and some community members were denied compensation or had it appropriated by others.
• Small farmers have been impoverished by a flawed compensation process characterized by the exclusion of certain tree species from payment tables, intimidation to accept low sums, and the provision of poor-quality tools.
• Pipeline construction has caused widespread pollution of drinking water in several villages, including Mpango, Mbikiliki, Bidjouka, and Ebomé, leading to health issues such as diarrhoea and skin diseases.
• The influx of oil workers has led to a rise in prostitution, including the prostitution of minors, which the report identifies as a significant health and legal concern that has been ignored by the World Bank and project sponsors.
• Labor conditions for subcontractors' employees are poor, with reports of salary disputes, failure to register personnel for social security, and the dismissal of workers following industrial accidents.
• The World Bank's safeguard mechanisms, such as the International Advisory Group (IAG) and the External Compliance Monitoring Group (ECMG), have failed to prevent or resolve the documented social and environmental problems.

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} }