The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) on Friday said it was "gravely concerned" that Soekor, South Africa's oil parastatal, is in the advanced stages of negotiating expansion activities in Sudan. "Oil is key to the war in Sudan. During our visits to Sudan, we saw for ourselves the results of the forced removal and displacement of tens of thousands of southern Sudanese to make the oilfields and pipeline safe from attack," said Cardinal Wilfred Napier, President of the SACBC, in a press statement. "We are convinced that oil is at once a major cause of the war and a means used by Khartoum to increase its military capacity," he added.