Stockholm Court Hears Key Testimony in Lundin Oil Trial
Survivors of conflict in Unity State were described as moving closer to justice on Thursday, as former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt testified at Stockholm District Court in the Lundin Oil trial (Eye Radio).
The court is examining allegations of grave human rights abuses and war crimes linked to oil operations in Unity State between 1999 and 2003, during the Sudanese civil war, a period associated with displacement and violence, according to the report (Eye Radio).
Carl Bildt Questioned on Board Role and Knowledge of Sudan
Bildt, who sat on Lundin Oil’s board from 2000 to 2006, was questioned about what he and others knew about the situation in Sudan while the company operated there (Eye Radio).
In court, Bildt said he had limited knowledge of conditions in Sudan when he joined the board and had never visited the country. “My understanding of the details of what was going on down there was limited,” he said, as quoted (Eye Radio).
Prosecution Claims and Defendants’ Position in Unity State Case
The trial features two defendants, Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter, former chairman and CEO respectively. According to the indictment, they contributed to actions by the Sudanese regime that amounted to war crimes, aimed at securing the company’s operations in the south (Eye Radio).
The report notes that civilians were displaced, injured and killed during the fighting. Both Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter deny wrongdoing, disputing the allegations and the factual basis of the indictment (Eye Radio).
Conflict Complexity, Block 5a Questions, and Abuse Reports
Prosecutor Ewa Korpi questioned Bildt about reports of fighting in Block 5a. Bildt, the report says, found detailed questions difficult given the passage of time, while maintaining that fighting and bombing were in areas different from where Lundin Oil operated (Eye Radio).
Bildt told the court that reported abuses were treated seriously and resources were invested in investigating. He also argued that many reports were largely incorrect and pointed to what he described as a wider “propaganda war” around the conflict (Eye Radio).
2001 Email Warning and Bildt’s Public Comments on Oil’s Impact
Bildt was asked about emails he sent in the summer of 2001, including to Ian Lundin, warning that the regime had “resumed what is effectively indiscriminate bombing.” He said the incidents he referred to were far from the company’s location (Eye Radio).
During a break, Bildt told journalists he did not regret his work with the company. He said oil can aggravate conflict but can also support development, calling oil in southern Sudan “a blessing” and linking it to a large share of state income, as reported (Eye Radio).
When asked whether Lundin Oil was a positive force, Bildt responded that it became so, citing roads, wells and the arrival of doctors in what he described as a highly underdeveloped area at the time (Eye Radio).
Sweden’s Longest Trial Set to Run Until May
The Lundin case has been ongoing since September 2023 and is described as the longest main hearing ever held in Sweden. About a hundred witnesses are expected to be called, including Bildt, according to the report (Eye Radio).
The trial is scheduled to conclude in May, as Stockholm District Court continues to hear evidence and testimony on the events and responsibilities alleged in the indictment (Eye Radio).