The OECD filing comes on the two-year anniversary of a toxic wastewater spill on 10 September 2018 when a basin that was holding produced water, a by-product of crude oil production, collapsed at the Badila oilfield in southern Chad. Eighty-five million litres of wastewater (the equivalent of 34 Olympic-sized swimming pools) flooded agricultural fields before pouring into the local Nya Pende River. According to residents, the basin had been leaking weeks before it collapsed, but Glencore failed to properly address the problem or to warn local residents about the impending danger...

The incidents left at least 50 local residents living near Glencore’s oil operations with burns, skin lesions, sickness and diarrhoea after bathing in or using the contaminated river water. Many of those harmed were children, some of who required hospitalisation. Livestock drinking from the river also died. Local residents say Glencore has still not acknowledged the harm caused or provided remedy.

The complaint to the OECD, on behalf of approximately 18,000 local residents affected by the Badila’s operations, was filed by UK-based corporate watchdog RAID and Chadian organisations the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) and the Association of Young Chadians of the Petroleum Zone (Association des Jeunes Tchadiens de la Zone Petroliere - AJTZP).

“No community, whether in Africa or elsewhere, should have to wait two years for a company to properly investigate whether its toxic spill caused health effects to children and others...We believe Glencore UK has violated the OECD Guidelines and we hope the UK government will offer its good offices to consider the matter and rectify the wrongs.” [said Anneke Van Woudenberg, the Executive Director of RAID]...

The complaint is directed to the UK National Contact Point (NCP) which oversees the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises...  

“Glencore should publicly denounce any unjustified attacks against its critics,” said Delphine Kemneloum Djiraïbé, the chief attorney of PILC. “Attacks and threats against human rights defenders are a global issue of growing concern and responsible mining companies should reject harassment, threats and attacks against those who work to promote and protect human rights.”...

Glencore refutes that the wastewater spills posed a health risk to local communities. It said that the September 2018 wastewater from the basin was predominately rainwater and that it was found to be “within the limits required by the International Finance Corporation’s performance standards.” RAID pointed to results that exceeded these standards and noted that more than half of IFC’s criteria were not tested. Glencore said it would review its water testing protocols.