Jared
J. Blackmire
Number 152: Mauritania and Oil-driven
Poverty
When non-renewable resources such as
oil first began to be introduced into industry there was not much concern over
when we would deplete them and have to look elsewhere
to drill. However now the time has come
when not only are we running out of these non-renewable resources, but we are
also going to great lengths to import this resource. Our desire for these resources has also
driven us to enter the poorest of countries and drilling in locations that will
not help the country’s people to rise out of poverty. Our greed has now turned to the Sub-Sahara
African country of Mauritania, where slavery was only declared illegal 23 years
ago, and the average family income per year is only $2,220. The real questions now are what this new oil
means, why the people are skeptical, what may happen if the generated money
does not reach citizens, and how the people are reacting to the proposed plan
of oil drilling off the coast.
In 2002, Mauritania was placed at number 152 out of 177, by the United
Nations in the Human Development Report (H.D.R.), which evaluates the standards
of life for countries across the world.
Poverty and poor social resources are two of the greatest causes for the
low ranking in the H.D.R. Under the rule
of President Maaoiuya Ould Taya, the Mauritanian people have been told that with the
Australian based Woodside Petroleum drilling off shore, 50,000-75,000 barrels
of oil would be produced and sent out each day.
With this oil being exported, approximately $100 million would be added
to Mauritania’s annual revenue by 2008. This would increase the governments revenue
by approximately ¼. Whether this ¼ will
reach a single Mauritania citizen is in the hands of President Ould Taya and his shady
officials.
This skepticism and doubt does not
go without warrant. Two other countries
in Mauritania’s current position have gone through the process by
which the people were told that the revenues would trickle down to them, but
never did. One example exists in Equatorial Guinea where the President’s family
has grown immensely wealthy while there are still less than acceptable water,
electricity, and basic health care (Human Development Report 2004) for the ½
million people living there. In the
country of Chad, the World Bank has had to go so far as to create a
mechanism that is meant to entice the President to spend Chad’s oil money on social development programs instead of
weaponry. Whether this will truly happen
is up in the air and inside of President Idriss Deby’s family payroll.
Several bloody coups have already
erupted over this issue in and throughout many African countries due to their
leader’s inability to evenly distribute the funds that the populations
desperately need in order to survive on a day to day basis in the hellish
poverty they know. While most
Mauritanians spend their days herding sheep for a living, the governmental
officials take their time driving up and down the beaten roads of Mauritania in
their luxury SUV’s and buying grand new homes for their families to live in
while the common people are forced to living in Mauritanian Hoovervilles. For them it is a day to day struggle to feed
their families meanwhile the government officials use glittering generalities
about a stronger state when all along their only priority is their income.
These unjust actions of the elected
officials are not tolerated by all of the Mauritanian people. One such
gentleman by the name of Cheikh Saad
Bouh Kamara, a human rights
activist, said that things are gradually getting worse for the Mauritanian
people. The facts go to support Kamara as the prices of beef, cooking oil, rice, and sugar
have already risen by between 14-21%. Kamara went on to say “Some, a small circle of people, will
become more rich. But the bigger majority will remain
poor.” (Abidjan Interview) On
the other hand there are still those who believe that the new off shore
drilling sites are a good thing and will bring many good jobs to the country.
The reality of the situation is that these jobs will go to the close friends
and families of those in power, thereby keeping the money circulating within
the same already wealthy families. Sid’Ahmed Ould Abeidana, who has a well off job in an air-conditioned
capital office said, “Oil finds are encouraging people to stay in Mauritania
and build the country up.” (Abidjan
Interview)
While the Australian Woodside
Petroleum begins exploring off shore, the Mauritanian people are living on the
assumption that the money will come and tomorrow will be a better day than
today. Only the future holds the truth
to where these great sums of money will go, however it is very clear that if
the Mauritanian government continue to treat their citizens with such reckless
abandonment, other leading countries such as the U.S. may step in with such drastic measures as they have
taken in Iraq. The benefits
of off shore drilling would be extremely beneficial to the Mauritanian people
by opening up thousands of new jobs but for now, the people of this country
must take it upon themselves to decide how much longer they wish to remain at
number 152.
Works Cited
Abidjan, “Mauritania: Will offshore oil reduce poverty?” IrinNews.
19 Jan. 2004
ODIN,
DFID, SIDA, Echo, Japan, and Australian Government, 15 Sept. 2004 <http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?REPORTID
“Mauritania.” Central Intelligence Agency.
14
Sept. 2004 FirstGov 15 Sept. 2004 <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mr.html
“Human Development Report 2004.” Human Development Reports.
9
Sept. 2004,
16 Sept. 2004
<http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/pdf/hdr04_HDI.pdf