In 2010, PAX, on behalf of the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan, published the report Unpaid Debt. It described the involvement of international oil companies in grave war crimes committed during a part of Sudanese civil war that revolved around control over oil fields. In 2021, two former executives of Swedish oil company Lundin were finally indicted for aiding and abetting war crimes. The criminal trial started in September 2023 and is the largest and longest running in Swedish history. Unfortunately, the Swedish legal system cannot provide reparation to the 150.000+ victims. Therefore, PAX advocates that the three companies that benefitted from the crimes, Orrön/Lundin Energy, Petronas and OMV, their shareholders, and their home countries Sweden, Malaysia and Austria fulfil their right to remedy and reparation.
Right to remedy
What we want
All victims of human rights violations have a right to remedy and reparation to enable them to rebuild their lives and those of their children. This is the story about the tens of thousands of people in South Sudan who lived through the horrors of the oil war and have been denied this right.
What happened?
In 1997, Swedish oil company Lundin Oil (now Orrön Energy) signed a contract with the Government of Sudan for the exploitation of oil in a concession area called Block 5A, located in Unity State, in the south of what is now South Sudan. At that time, the country was torn apart by a civil war that had started in 1983 between the government and allied militias and a variety of armed rebel groups from the south. Block 5A– was located in an area that was not under full Government control and that was relatively peaceful. The arrival of the oil companies set off a vicious war as the Government attempted to control the area by force to secure oil operations. In the period until 2003, gross war crimes were committed, including killings, rape, child abduction, torture, pillage, arson. Schools, markets and clinics were destroyed. An estimated 12.000 people died and 180.000 were forcibly displaced.
Voices of victims

The Unpaid Debt report
In November 2006, after the Sudanese civil war had ended, a group of South Sudanese civil society organizations called upon the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS) to assist in advocating for justice for victims of the oil war. Subsequently, PAX, the coordinator of ECOS, wrote the report “Unpaid Debt”, which was published in 2010. The report described the role of Lundin, OMV and Petronas in the oil war and called upon the companies to address the fate of the harmed communities and contribute to a remedy process. However, the companies took a confrontational approach and continue to deny any responsibility until today.

Unpaid Debt
The Legacy of Lundin, Petronas and OMV in Block 5A, Sudan 1997 – 2003
The Lundin war crimes trial
The publication of Unpaid Debt triggered a criminal investigation in Sweden into links between the reported international crimes and Lundin. On 11 November 2021, Lundin’s Chairman Ian Lundin and CEO Alexandre Schneiter were formally charged with aiding and abetting international atrocity crimes. The trial opened on 5 September 2023. It is an exceptionally big criminal case, 32 plaintiffs and 92 witnesses will be heard and the hearings are scheduled to continue until Spring 2026. The importance of the upcoming trial is threefold. It will be the first time that anybody will be held to account a crime committed during Sudan’s civil war. It will be the first time since the Nuremburg trials that a multi-billion dollar company stands accused of aiding and abetting war crimes. And most importantly, it may lead to remedy and reparation of harmed communities by actors who stand credibly accused of contributing to war crimes and profiting from it, Lundin, Petronas, OMV and their shareholders, as well as their home countries.
Shortly after the indictment, Lundin announced the transfer of 98% of its assets to Alker BP, effectively separating its wealth from its alleged crimes. In May 2022, together with seven other European and South Sudanese civil society organizations, PAX filed a complaint with the Norwegian National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines against Norwegian oil company Aker BP and its largest shareholder Aker ASA for breaching the Guidelines as the transaction forever denied victims access to reparation.
In May 2024, PAX and the Centre for the Enforcement of Human Rights International (CEHRI) filed a criminal complaint against former executives of Austrian oil company OMV, Lundin’s consortium partner in Sudan, for aiding and abetting war crimes.
Lundin War Crimes Trial Podcast
This is the Lundin War Crimes Trial, a podcast series produced by PAX and Global Idé about the case against the Swedish company Lundin, that has been charged with complicity in war crimes in South Sudan from 1999 to 2003.

The Lundin War Crimes Trial is a podcast series that follows the landmark criminal trial of two executives from the Swedish oil company Lundin, accused of aiding and abetting war crimes in Sudan between 1999 and 2003. The company also faces allegations of profiting from these crimes, which left a devastating impact on communities in what is now South Sudan.
During Lundin’s operations, 200,000 people were forcibly displaced, and 12,000 lives were lost. This podcast uncovers the human cost of corporate greed and explores a critical question: Can a Swedish court deliver justice for the survivors of this oil-fueled conflict?
One of the most striking aspects of the Lundin trial so far is one of the defense's core arguments: questioning whether war crimes occurred at all in the area where the company operated. Yet, to date, the court has seen little substantial evidence to support this claim.
In today’s episode, we’re joined by two leading experts who have both testified during the trial — historian Douglas Johnson and peace and conflict researcher Associate Professor Johan Brosché. Together, they examine the credibility of the defense's position and explore whether, in light of the available facts, it is even reasonable to cast doubt on the occurrence of war crimes.
Participants:
– Douglas H. Johnson, Historian, Sudan and South Sudan expert
– Johan Brosché, Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Research
Host:
– Halima Athumani
Background:
This is the Lundin War Crimes Trial, brought to you by PaX and Global Idé. The music in this podcast is made by the artist JJ Kang and edited by Roos Boer, producer and editor Sara Hadfy Högström. Visit unpaiddebt.org for more background and updates from the trial. There you may also listen to more interviews with victims and experts, read expert analysis, an interactive map of attacks in Lundin’s concession area and access background information about the case.

The podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Beyond the trial: the quest for remedy and reparation
We believe that justice for the victims of the civil wars in Sudan and South Sudan is a prerequisite for peace and reconciliation. For justice to be done, it is crucial that all perpetrators and their accomplices are held to account, that truth is heard and harm is made undone.
During the criminal investigation and since the start of the trial, PAX has worked with communities that have been harmed, with churches, and civil society organizations in South Sudan and elsewhere to advocate for the right to remedy and reparation. Inform affected communities about events in court and ensure that their representatives get a seat at the table with companies and policymakers to advocate for justice.
For news about the trial and an overview of the Unpaid Debt project, visit Unpaid Debt – The Right to Remedy, where you can also sign up for the Newsletter and access the Lundin War Crimes Trial Podcast series.
News articles
Statements, complaints & responses
2021
2022
2023
- NCP Initial Assessment of the Complaint
- 1st Submission by PAX et al
- Expert Opinion Dr Tara van Ho
- Expert Opinion Prof Ramasastry
2024
- 1st Response by Aker
- Expert Opinion by Prof. Emberland
- Attachments to 1st Response by Aker
- 2nd Submission by PAX et al
- Response by Dr. Tara van Ho
- Response by Prof. Anita Ramasastry
- 2nd Response by Aker
- Response by Prof. Emberland
- Attachments to 2nd Response by Aker
2025
Contact
- Eva Gerritse, gerritse@paxforpeace.nl
- Egbert Wesselink, wesselink@paxforpeace.nl