OIL SPECULATION IN SÃO TOMÉ
How to Rob an African Nation

By Mathieu von Rohr in São Tomé and Príncipe

The residents of a tiny African island nation have been dreaming of great wealth
since oil was
discovered in their territorial waters. Companies, foreign powers and corrupt
politicians are
scrambling for drilling licenses in hopes of striking it rich.

The lobby of the Hotel Miramar in São Tomé would be the perfect set for a
tropical spy
thriller. It is the best hotel in town, which doesn't mean much, but its
air-conditioned lobby,
complete with colorful sofas and green potted plants, has become an important
meeting
place for everyone who has some sort of business on this curious island:
profiteers and their
assistants, representatives of foreign governments and international
organizations and a host
of shady characters. Good and bad people congregate in the lobby of the Hotel
Miramar, but
telling them apart isn't easy. (...)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,548272,00.html