Report 63— David Toon
On 17 September 2025, the court heard testimony from David Toon, a former security consultant who worked in Block 5A from 1998-1999.
The Testimony of David Toon
David Toon was employed through the company Rapport as a security consultant in Sudan within Lundin Oil’s HSC operations, under the cooperation between Rapport and IPC/Lundin. The assignment began around 1998 and lasted about a year, until the spring of 1999. He was stationed in Block 5A, primarily at Lundin Oil’s Highland Camp. Toon testified that although he was eventually asked by his manager to leave the position, he did not know the reason.
During the first phase of his work, Toon was based in Bentiu, then the camp was moved to the Highland Camp. However, the source equipment was in Rubkhona. Toon emphasized that maps were so poor at the time that he could not provide exact positions for the locations.
Work Structure and Duties
Toon worked in a rotation system, alternating with Alan Packwood. Reporting channels mainly went through the office in Khartoum, via fax and satellite phone. His responsibilities included monitoring the local security situation, traveling to villages, writing situation reports (SITREPs), cooperating with local security forces, and ensuring that the company’s seismic work could be carried out.
Toon testified that he had close contact with a man named Steven from SSDF, whom he considered reliable and honest. Steven became an important link between Toon and the local communities.
Relation to the local population
As part of his duties, Toon frequently visited villages located along the seismic lines, both to assess security and to maintain good relations with the population. According to his knowledge, only one road connected Bentiu with Highland Camp. The terrain was difficult to navigate, so movement was often restricted to the seismic lines, which were about three meters wide and stretched many kilometres.
He observed that the areas were severely affected by poverty and deprivation, with a great shortage of food and basic resources. However, he had no memory of seeing destroyed villages or huts. He recalled that on one occasion, he saw a field that was burning. He was told by his SSDF contact Steven that farmers were burning crops for cultivation. According to Toon, the population appreciated the oil company’s presence and saw opportunities for work and development.
Security Situation in Block 5A
When Toon arrived in southern Sudan, he described the security situation as “fragile.” Having local protection was considered essential for the company’s operations to continue. Therefore, an agreement was made with SSDF to provide security for the Highland Crew and the Swamp Crew.
Two key commanders active in the area were Tito Biel and Paulino Matiep. The road between Bentiu and the Highland Camp acted as a dividing line: the territory to the left belonged to Paulino Matiep while the territory to the right belonged to Tito Biel. Although both leaders had agreed to provide 50% of the security forces, Matiep did not fulfil his part, creating rivalry and division. The prosecution referred to a security assessment from 11 July 1998 which stated that Matiep was sponsored by the Sudanese government to break the peace accord. When asked whether this information aligned with his previous statements about territorial restrictions in the agreement, Toon did not address the sponsorship claim directly. Instead, he offered a vague interpretation of the report, saying he believed the government’s troops were not allowed south of the river. Surprisingly, the prosecutor did not press him further or seek clarification. As Toon understood it, both groups were expected to cooperate with the local administration as well as the regime in Khartoum. He referred to a Captain Radi, who from Toon’s testimony seemed to be a Sudanese military leader, who suggested that the government’s troops should protect the camp. Additionally, SPLA forces were stationed about 70 km south of the block, posing a serious threat. Toon heard that the SPLA planned to attack the facility in Heglig and would have to pass through the block, since Bentiu was the only crossing point over the river.
In Bentiu, there were many refugees coming from nearby areas, at least 10,000, but Toon had no idea exactly where they came from.
Conflicts and incidents
At one point, around 23 March 1998, the road between Bentiu and Highland Camp was blocked for several days, which led to a shortage of fuel and work being halted. Personnel had to use helicopters to continue operations. The companies BGP and Lundin attempted to arrange a meeting to mediate peace. Toon believed that Paulino Matiep had been in Khartoum and had a meeting to resolve the matter.
According to a security report from 24–25 March 1998, there was a mobilization in Rupnagyai and Tito Biel was concerned about a lack of ammunition. Toon described how while driving in the area, they saw children, some of them carrying weapons.
On 9 April 1998 Toon’s contact Steven disappeared after leaving to visit his family in Duar and was reportedly killed, likely by Paulino Matiep’s faction, though this was never fully confirmed. When recounting the incident, Toon showed no visible emotion, speaking of Steven’s death with striking detachment. OEPA arrived to investigate; however, there was pressure from IPC to end cooperation with OEPA. Toon testified that reportedly, the SSDF did not appreciate OEPA and IPC’s presence.
A report from 3 June 1998 described fighting and an armed group of about 200 men in Duar led by Peter Gadet moving toward Leer. According to Toon’s reports, Peter Gadet was believed to be loyal to Paulino Matiep and his forces used civilians who had been captured to transport ammunition. Toon, however, did not want to confirm this afterward. He stated that he had seen women carrying weapons but did not know whether they had been forced to do so.
He stated that on 11 July 1998, at the end of the dry season, Highland Camp was emptied of staff and later looted and destroyed, which according to information he received was carried out by Matiep’s forces. At another point, he recalled that a medical facility in Duar run by the Norwegian Red Cross was attacked by an unknown party.
Reports and source criticism
Toon regularly wrote reports on the security situation, which were normally sent directly to Rapport in Khartoum, but some also reached Lundin Oil’s management. The security reports contained descriptions of fighting, road blockades, attacks on civilian facilities, rivalry between forces, and the killing of Steven. When reviewing Toon’s security reports, distribution lists showed that Alexandre Schneiter was included as a recipient.
During the cross-examination, the defence emphasized the difficulties of gathering information and asked whether the reports could really be taken as truth. Toon emphasized that the information was based on conversations with local actors, primarily Tito Biel and his men, as well as Toon’s own observations. According to Toon, Tito Biel proved to be very reliable as 99% of what he said turned out to be true. He described Biel as open, knowledgeable, honest, and friendly. Biel appreciated that Toon offered him cigarettes, and on one occasion, Biel gave Toon a goat when they visited his home village.
However, he emphasized that it was impossible to verify everything they heard, and often Toon only got one side of the story since he never had direct contact with Paulino Matiep. He expressed that the reports reflected the “best possible information” available, but not necessarily the whole truth.
Relation to Ian Lundin and Alexandre Schneiter
When asked about Alexandre Schneiter, Toon said he did not recall ever meeting him personally. He did remember a delegation visiting from Khartoum in May 1998 but could not confirm whether Schneiter was part of it. He stated that he had no direct cooperation or personal contact with Schneiter. However, distribution lists of Toon’s security reports showed that Schneiter was listed as a recipient, along with other company leaders. As for Ian Lundin, Toon did not mention any personal interaction.
Toon testified that before he was questioned by the Swedish police, he had a meeting where he met representatives from the law firm Hogan Lovells, although it was unclear from his testimony whether it was at the Lundin Oil office or the firm’s office. He could not remember if he had received security reports from Lundin before the police interview, but he had been shown certain documents. When asked by the prosecutor, he answered that as far as he could remember, he had no further contact with Lundin after the interviews.
