Revisiting the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Compensation Modality, Local Communities' Discontent, and Accountability Mechanisms

Abstract

This paper queries social regulation and social justice claims related to compensation agreements. It draws upon the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project and compensation settlements between the Exxon Oil Consortium and the Bakola Pygmies in Cameroon as an empirical case study. It interrogates accountability and equity concerns in settlements in light of the fact that such arrangements are value-laden and arise from political processes premised on a “social minimum,” thus entrenching a political economy of resource allocation that potentially destabilizes local community entitlements and livelihood sustainability. A critical analysis of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline hinges on the validity of formal corporate-community agreements, the disjunction between the rhetoric of compensation and actual practices, and the contested scale and scope of accountability.