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IRIN Web Special on Cabinda
P I C T U R E G A L L E R Y
Cabinda's wealth is based on oil - producing 60 percent of Angola's oil revenues. But environmentalists have criticised the role of the major oil companies' operating in the enclave, accusing them of a lack of social responsibility towards the upliftment of the local population.
In 1999 an oil spill near the Malonga oil base dealt a severe blow to the struggling local fishing industry. The oil giant Chevron-Texaco paid US $2,000 to each of the 10 percent of fishermen in the area affected by the spill as compensation for the loss of six months of fishing. The coastline to this day remains polluted. However, Chevron-Texaco has refused to accept formal responsibility for the spill. The fishermen complain that the payout has ignored the wider community dependent on the fishing industry and the wide range of environmental problems sparked by the incident.
Chevron-Texaco has sponsored a range of social projects in Cabinda, including health and education facilities. The province receives 10 percent of taxes paid by oil companies operating off Cabinda's shores.
But critics have argued that the social programmes have fallen short of the needs in the province, citing the billions of dollars the oil giants earn from local oil exploitation.
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| Although the province produces 60 percent of Angola's oil revenues, queues for petrol are not uncommon |
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| Following the 1999 oil spill near the Malongo oil base fishing boats lay idle |
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Fisherman complain that just 10 percent of their men received the $2,000 given as compensation for their loss of six months of fishing |
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| Cabindan children playing along the polluted coastline |
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Cabindans believe successive oil spills have had a negative impact on the community and the environment |
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| One of the few schools in Cabinda is a Chevron-sponsored facility. The school is without electricity and water |
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A Chevron-funded health post in Cabinda town operates with a single nurse. The building has neither water nor electricity |
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