[Shabelle] Somalia's central government is in talks with some of the world's biggest energy companies in an attempt to restart oil exploration in the war-torn country, an adviser to the government said Monday.Somali officials have discussed having Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., BP, ConocoPhillips, Eni SpA and Chevron Corp. return to the East African nation after more than two decades of violence drove major oil producers off, Abdullah Haider, an adviser in Somalia's ministry of natural resources, told a conference here Monday.
"Most of the discussions are going well," he said.
A number of big oil companies signed concessions in Somalia before the country descended into civil war in 1991. The instability prompted the companies to suspend onshore and offshore exploration; they say their contracts remain valid since it has been impossible to conduct activity in the country.