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Major
Attacks Cripple Production in Oil-Rich Delta of Nigeria
09-16-2008
The Movement for the Emancipation
of the Niger Delta (MEND), a militant group in Nigeria has 'declared war' on
foreign owned oil companies working in the region.
Two days of gun battles with security forces guarding facilities have resulted
in the death of 22 Nigerian solders and the destruction of both flow stations
and oil pipelines.
The Movement released a statement saying that they have launched 'Hurricane
Barossa' in response to attacks by the government's aerial and marine forces.
Both sides say their opponents suffered heavy losses in the fighting.
Chevron confirmed that one of its oil platforms was attacked by rebels, on
Sunday, but added that production had already been shut down stemming from a
previous attack from the rebels in late July.
A security spokesman also speculated that a Shell-operated plant, in Soku, had
been attacked.
The MEND, responsible for attacks that have cut OPEC’s oil output by a fifth,
repeated its warning for all oil workers to evacuate the Delta and expanded its
threat to oil vessels.
In an e-mailed statement the group claimed that: “The operation will continue
until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the
Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue.”
MEND, is the largest militia operating in the impoverished Delta region. The
group has a history of frequently kidnapping foreign oil workers and sabotaging
oil installations and pipelines.
Unsurprisingly, the Nigerian President, Umara Yar’adua, has found himself under
increasing pressure to crack down on the rebels and make the Delta region safer
for international oil firms to operate in.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, a military spokesman for the task force in Rivers
State said: “We are hopeful they will give up the fight very soon.”
The Colonel added in reference to Saturday’s operations: “There were heavy
casualties on the part of the militants.” The government security forces used
helicopters, jet fighters and more than 20 gunboats in a successful attempt to
repel the militants, albeit temporarily.
The Niger Delta accounts for most of Nigeria's oil output of two million barrels
per day (bpd), making it the world's eighth biggest exporter of oil.
Insecurity in the region has cut the West African country's output by around a
fifth since early 2006, when MEND began blowing up oil pipelines and kidnapping
foreign workers, helping to contribute to rising world oil prices.
Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, Eni, and – as previously mentioned -
Chevron, are among the numerous oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.
The Niger Delta region is the source of most of the Nigerian government's
income, yet it remains blighted by poverty and corruption.
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