2024-01-09 23:02:10
After entrusting a mission to Jean-Christophe Ruffin in Cabo Delgado where there is a large gas project, this time it was Lionel Zinsou who was commissioned by TotalEnergies on Thursday January 4. The former Prime Minister of Benin, co-president of the Pan-African Investment Bank Southbridge, has agreed to evaluate the major’s land acquisition program in the Tilenga/EACOP project. Insufficient compensation, forced evictions, pressure and threats. A very controversial project, many criticisms were made during the land acquisition procedures.
Lionel Zinsou has around twenty years of experience on development issues. He will carry out this mission in complete independence, he affirms.
« I will see alone, without any censorship, all the people who want to talk to me. And it concerns public authorities, national and local, because it happens a lot on the side of social expectations », explains Lionel Zinsou. “ There are local governance issues that are very important. And obviously the people who formulated and documented very strong criticisms. And try to be useful to all of these stakeholders. Because we have to move forward. These are projects that have a very significant social impact and a very significant environmental impact. The idea is to carry out the diagnosis and make recommendations for development. »
Controversial project
A very controversial Tilenga/EACOP project. Last June, a new action before the French courts was launched in Paris. Objective: request compensation from TotalEnergies for the estimated damages linked in particular to land issues. Among the plaintiffs, the NGO Friends of the Earth.
« In our opinion, this evaluation mission commissioned by Total clearly aims to respond to our accusations in court and therefore, I suppose, to be included in the legal file. », Says Juliette Renaud, campaign manager for the NGO Friends of the Earth. “ We either expect the report to be uncritical, but this is most often the tone of the reports which are commissioned by Total and which aim above all to reassure and ultimately to whitewash their image in the face of multiple investigations which denounce the violations that take place in these expropriation processes. But it’s true that even when there was some criticism in these reports, we are skeptical that Total will act. »
« We cannot have predatory development »
Lionel Zinsou expects criticism, but for him this assessment is a positive opportunity which goes beyond the framework of the Ugandan-Tanzanian case.
« That’s why I didn’t hesitate to say good, if we can do something useful on a very emblematic project, the second largest investment in Africa. “, he emphasizes. “ Is it having the fallout and impacts it should have, or is it only having negative impacts and a lot of frustration? We cannot have predatory development. There absolutely must be social and environmental content whatever we do. And that we respect human rights. There are a lot of expectations, I know that, and so I will try to be the spokesperson for something which is a bit of a new African model in the way Africa asks to develop with its resources and not simply being a producer somewhat exposed to predators. »
TotalEnergies expects the report to be submitted by April.
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