Former Swedish Foreign Minister Testifies in Lundin War Crimes Trial

Former Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt testified as a witness in the Lundin case at Stockholm District Court on Thursday. Bildt, who was a board member of Lundin Oil, was questioned about his and others' knowledge of the situation in Sudan while the company operated there. Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter, former chairman and CEO of Lundin Oil respectively, are on trial for complicity in grave war crimes in southern Sudan between 1999 and 2003, when the Swedish company was active in the area. According to prosecutors, they allegedly contributed to the then-Sudanese regime committing war crimes to secure the company's oil operations in the southern regions. During the hostilities, many civilians were reportedly displaced, injured, and killed. Both defendants deny the charges. Bildt served as a board member of Lundin Oil from 2000 to 2006, when he became foreign minister. The trial has been ongoing since autumn 2023, and Bildt is one of about a hundred witnesses called. According to the prosecutor's questioning theme, Bildt's testimony reportedly focused on his knowledge of the situation in block 5a, the area where the company operated, and about the government's warfare. He was also questioned about emails and documents he authored, which allegedly showed he warned the board about the situation in the country. This includes an email to Ian Lundin in 2001, where he reportedly described that the government had resumed "indiscriminate bombings," as reported by Blankspot. The purpose of the questioning, according to prosecutors, was reportedly to show that Lundin and Schneiter knew that the conflicts in the area were about control over oil prospecting and that the military committed war crimes.