Petroleum Africa
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Thursday, October 10, 2013
The government of Somalia is calling some oil and gas agreements signed with international explorers illegal. The government said the licenses issued by the regional governments of Somaliland and Puntland are invalid.
Companies such as Africa Oil Corp., Genel Energy, and Ophir Energy have won licenses to search in these semi-autonomous regions, although work has been slowed down on security concerns. In the case of Ophir Energy the company reduced its stakes in Somaliland’s Berbera Blocks SL9 and SL12 from 75% to 25%.
“Any contract that was given or awarded by a federal member state is not valid,” National Resources Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said at an industry event in London. Companies holding those licenses “should start negotiations with the federal government.”
The Minister also urged companies that were active in Somalia prior to the start of the civil war in 1991 return. These companies are some of the largest in the world and include Shell and ExxonMobil.
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