Toss the Exxon cards

If you haven't already done so, consider cutting up your Exxon card and cancelling your account. Here's just one more example of why. If you want more reasons, we can draw up a long list.

A consortium of western oil companies, led by ExxonMobil, has drawn up legal agreements with African governments that potentially override the human rights of the local populations, according to a report published today by Amnesty International.

The agreements relate to a 665-mile pipeline running from the Doba oilfields in Chad to the Atlantic terminal at Kribi in Cameroon.

Andrea Shemberg, an Amnesty legal adviser, said: "The ExxonMobil-led consortium that operates the pipeline is effectively sidestepping the rule of law in Chad and in Cameroon. Human rights are not negotiable items that companies and governments are permitted to eliminate by contract." ExxonMobil rejected the accusations, insisting that the company has a record of condemning human rights violations.