Oil wars are coming to Africa

Now there’s China, apparently the new bogeyman when it comes to oil. Should we, as Africans, be rooting for the new kid on the block, someone who’s likely to give the big bad US a run for its money? We must remember that China refuses take a stand against Sudan on the Darfur issue because of its oil. China currently obtains a quarter of its oil imports from Africa, with Sudan being its biggest single African supplier. In return, China is one of Sudan’s biggest arms supplier. Human rights? Inefficient. Irrelevant.

Our own media have been equally filled with oil-related stories recently. Price rises. New tax procedures on importing companies. Insufficiencies of supply lines in East Africa and the Great Lakes region. Increased demand in general as a result of the drought. It is all rather worrying. But, what hasn’t come through is how these stories relate to the bigger picture being discussed in the Western media.

The East African