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28 Drillers in the mist | September 201432 Global Witness interview with CosmaWilungula, 3 June 2014. Asked how muchSoco paid under the 2011 accord, he said:“These numbers are not generally known…I don’t have the exact amount that I cangive you.” In a 27 May 2014 e-mail, GlobalWitness asked Soco: “How much did Socopay ICCN as a result of the May 2011agreement between the two organisations?Why has Soco not published theagreement? How much of the amount paidby Soco was received by Virunga NationalPark and what evidence do you have ofthis?” Soco did not reply to these questions.33 Soco published the November 2013 agreementwith the ICCN on its website in May2014. The agreement gives Soco the rightto “have access, penetrate and circulate inthe park”. Soco agreed to transfer $15k/month ($180k/year) to the ICCN. « Protocold’accord relatif à l’accompagnement etau suivi écologique valant autorisationd’entreprendre des travaux de recherchesscientifiques dans le parc national desVirunga », 6 November 2013. Signed bySerge Lescaut for Soco and Cosma Wilungulafor ICCN : http://bit.ly/VSbDLu34 Letter from ICCN DG Cosma Wilungula toSoco, 3 April 2012, to Soco Deputy DirectorGeneral in the Democratic Republicof Congo: “the ICCN authorised you, inits letter no. 0167/DG/BDG/KBY/2012 of01/03/2012 to carry out an initial missionto the Virunga National Park (PNVi) [inorder to look into] the possibility of reconcilingthe conservation of the unique andirreplaceable biodiversity of PNVi… with oilexploration”, http://bit.ly/1qmBq9i.35 Ibid.36 Ministre de l’Environnement, 9 September2011, Arrêté Ministériel, http://bit.ly/1tOehyb.37 José Endundo letter to Congolese PrimeMinister, March 2011, “Concerne: CPP-RDC/SOCO – Bloc V Rift albertin (PNVi)”,No. 665/CAB/MIN/ECN-T/27/JEB/011: “Onreturn from my trip to Mexico, I noticethat the intervention of my ministry inthe dossier concerning oil exploitation inblock V of the Albertine Rift, which coversa large part of Virunga National Park, ledto a letter from my colleague from the oilministry and polemic in the press.”38 Minutes of meeting between the environmentministry, ICCN and Soco, 27 March2012, seen by Global Witness39 “For the last six years, less than 300 parkrangers have been available to protectthe entire park.”From Virunga NationalPark, 2014, “Four Women Join the Ranksof Virunga’s Park Ranger Force”, http://virunga.org/news/four-women-join-theranks-of-virungas-park-ranger-force/.40 For the full story of the murdered gorillassee, National Geographic, “Who murderedthe Virunga gorillas?” by Mark Jenkins,July 2008, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/virunga/jenkins-text41 Virunga Alliance, undated, http://virunga.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/VR-ENGLISH-LONG_FINAL-2.pdf42 BBC, 26 October 2012, “Virunga NationalPark: DR Congo rangers killed”,http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-2009283543 Ordonnance-Loi 69-014 du 22 aout 1969sur la conservation de la nature, article3, available at : http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/oecd_appendix_for_website.pdf. Original French : « Les terres domanialessituées dans les réserves intégrales nepeuvent être ni cédées ni concédées. Ellesne peuvent recevoir d’affectation incompatibleavec la protection de la nature »44 Loi relative à la conservation de la nature,February 2014, Article 25 : « Touteactivité incompatible avec les objectifs dela conservation est interdite dans les airesprotégées…. est nul tout droit accordé dansles limites des aires protégées », http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/97993#345 Ibid., Article 19 : « Pour raison d’intérêtpublic, de recherche scientifique et dansle cadre de la délivrance des permis etcertificats visés aux articles 64 à 67 de laprésente loi, un décret délibéré en Conseildes ministres peut déroger aux mesuresde protection prévues par la présente loi.La dérogation ne peut être accordée qu’àcondition qu’il n’existe aucune autre solutionsatisfaisante et qu’elle ne nuise pasau maintien, dans un état de conservationfavorable, des spécimens des espèces defaune et de flore concernées dans leur airede distribution naturelle. » http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/97993#346 June 2013 World Heritage Committeedecision cited in WWF OCED complaintagainst Soco, p. 15, available at: http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/20130918_wwf_oecd_complaint_against_soco.pdf47 Soco’s response to the film to the BBC on24 April 2014, http://bit.ly/1pPpKxi48 Soco International, 2014, “Block V and theVirunga National Park”, http://www.socointernational.com/current-status49 See English translation of Soco International’sProduction Sharing Agreement for Block5, November 2007, available at: http://www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/library/Production%20Sharing%20Agreement%20extract%20in%20English.pdf.50 Mark Power, First Secretary of the BritishEmbassy in Kinshasa reiterated the UK Governmentposition on 4 May 2014: “Our statementon the issue, first issued in September2012 is worth repeating here as I often getasked our position: “The UK opposes oilexploration within Virunga National Park, aWorld Heritage sight [sic] listed by UNESCOas being ‘in danger’. We have informed SOCOand urge the Government of DR Congo tofully respect the international conventions towhich it is a signatory.” See: “Conservation,development and danger in Virunga NationalPark”: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/markpower/2014/05/04/conservation-developmentand-danger-in-virunga-national-park/.51 The Belgian Parliament’s resolution waspassed on 29 November 2012 and availablehere: http://www.lachambre.be/FLWB/pdf/53/2350/53K2350011.pdf. TheEuropean Parliament’s resolution waspassed on 13 November 2012 and availablehere: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2012-0511+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN. The GermanParliament’s resolution was passed on4 June 2013 and is available here: http://savevirunga.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/german-parliament-motion-eng.pdf. See“Virunga: The real price of energy” inEnergy Post on 2 August 2013 for moreinformation: http://www.energypost.eu/index.php/virunga-the-real-price-of-energy/.52 “Major Feruzi was assigned by the FARDCto act as Military Liaison Officer duringSOCO’s movements around the area.”Soco, 26 July 2013, “Statement on allegations”,no longer on Soco’s website.Still available on ‘Save Virunga’ website:http://savevirunga.com/2013/07/26/july-15th-breaking-news-new-cases-ofintimidation-and-arrests-of-local-community-leaders-opposing-oil-exploration-invirunga-np/53 Document from the Parquet de Grande Instancedu Nord-Kivu à Goma, 13 December2010, seen by Global Witness.54 Undercover recording in eastern Congofrom 12 May 2013 included in Virunga(2014) documentary55 Ibid56 Ibid57 Source working in Congo’s national parks.58 Undercover recording in eastern Congofrom 12 May 201359 Undercover recording in eastern Congofrom 10 July 201360 Soco’s response to the film to the BBC on24 April 2014, http://bit.ly/1pPpKxi61 Ibid62 “Pieter Kock, SSC” took part in Soco’soperations in Block 5 according to a 26 July2013 “Statement on allegations”, no longeron Soco’s website (see above). When PieterKock was kidnapped by rebels in 2011, “MrCagle [Soco Deputy CEO] said the SouthAfrican national worked for DeminingEnterprises International, a South Africansecurity outfit,” in Financial Times, 16 February2011, “Congolese rebels release securitycontractor”, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/abbf905e-3a11-11e0-a441-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Bh0vUNTJ. DEI website, “DEIalso has a sister company (Specialised SecurityConsultants) that provides additionalservices such as security advisers, to meetour clients’ requirements in Africa, as wellas around the globe.”, http://www.idemining.com/last accessed 09/05/14.63 In French, Directeur technique et scientifiqueor DTS.64 Letter from ICCN DG Cosma WILUNGULA toSoco, 3 April 2012, to SOCO Deputy DirectorGeneral in the Democratic Republic ofCongo: “I have just appointed the Directorof the Technical and Scientific Department,as a focal point of SOCO to the ICCN”65 Undercover recording in eastern Congofrom 21 March 201266 Ibid67 Ibid