Reuters: Fishermen caught in oil dispute over African lake
Published on November 8th, 2007
Posted in Uncategorized
NTOROKO, Uganda (Reuters) - Until this year, Robert Kazini had never given much thought to whether he was fishing in Congolese or Ugandan waters; it didn’t matter.
Nor did it matter much to Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo — until prospectors found oil here.
Now, with crude nearing $100 a barrel and both countries dreaming of billions of petrodollars that could flow from Lake Albert, an ugly and at times deadly dispute over their border is jeopardizing the livelihoods of locals like Kazini.
“This border is our big problem,” said the 35-year-old, winding up a wide net into his wood-plank boat. “Congolese soldiers have started arresting us, saying we are in their waters. It’s not safe to fish anymore.”
