10 October 2003
Groups fear imminent oil revenues will strengthen the current regime and exacerbate current insecurity, lack of resources, and human rights violations.
The official inauguration of the Chad-Cameroon Oil Development and Pipeline Project is scheduled for Friday, October 10, 2003. An international press tour has been organized by the World Bank and Exxon to take place in Chad throughout this week. Chadian civil society organizations are calling for a National Day of Mourning on October 10 in silent protest of the insecurity in which they live, the lack of access to essential services, and the impunity with which human rights violations continue to be perpetrated in Chad. They fear that imminent oil revenues will serve to strengthen the current regime and exacerbate these conditions.