Ethiopia Rebels Say Petronas Sale Shows State’s Lack of Control
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A rebel group operating in Ethiopia said the sale by Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bhd. of energy concessions in the country showed the government’s lack of control of the restive eastern region.
SouthWest Energy (H.K.) Ltd., which according to its website is an Ethiopian-owned company based in Hong Kong, said on Oct. 6 it acquired all of Petronas’s interests in the Ogaden basin, which has proven gas reserves of as much as 4 trillion cubic feet. Owners of SouthWest include members of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, one of the main factions in Ethiopia’s ruling party, the renegade Ogaden National Liberation Front said in an e-mailed statement on Oct. 8.