Agenzia Fides

N'Djamena (Agenzia Fides) - The Association of Catholic Students of Chad (Jeunesse étudiante catholique - JEC) has asked the government of N'Djamena to reconsider the expulsion from the Country of His Exc. Mgr. Michael Russo, Bishops of Doba , because of his sermon, broadcast via radio, in which he criticized the management of oil revenues in the Country (see Fides 13/10/2012).
The general rapporteur of the JEC, Grégoire Djimsangar, in an interview with Radio France International (RFI) invited religious leaders of all denominations and national and international community to support the Bishop. "Everything Mgr. Russo said is true - said the representative of the JEC -. If you take a trip in the south of Chad, you will realize the negative impact, especially in terms of the environment, caused by the exploitation of oil. The population is extremely poor. They have built some schools, but other than this there is nothing. "
Chad exports 120,000 barrels of oil per day through a pipeline which was built with funds provided by some international organizations on the basis of the commitment by local authorities to invest 70% of oil revenues into projects to reduce poverty. A commitment that has been largely ignored, according to surveys conducted by various international bodies, showing that with the funds from the oil, weapons have been bought instead of starting development projects (see Fides 01/02/2012). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/10/2012)