In early 2003 the Canadian oil company Talisman Energy Inc.sold its share in an international consortium in Sudan. This decision was preceded by heavy pressure from the Canadian government, which had insisted since 1999 that Talisman should put its weight behind efforts to stop the civil war that had been dragging on in the country for decades. Pressure also came from international human rights organisations, which accused Talisman of providing income for the Arab–Islamic government, thus fuelling the war against the Christian and animistic rebels in the South. The un Human Rights Commission in Geneva joined the chorus of criticism. Talisman saw itself confronted with a sharp decline in the value of its shares and retreated from Sudan, four years after arrival. The Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation took Talisman’s place in the consortium. ¹