New Militant Group Launches Attacks Oil Facilities In Nigeria's Oil Rich Delta Region

Reuters: Militants launch attacks in Niger Delta as Buhari cancels visit

Militants launched new attacks in the Niger Delta on Thursday, vowing to bring Nigeria's struggling oil industry to a halt, and the president canceled a long-awaited visit to the region.

The army said militants killed six people on Wednesday when they ambushed a boat belonging to state oil firm NNPC in the Warri area.

Separately, the Niger Delta Avengers group said it had attacked two crude pipelines operated by Italy's ENI.

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WNU Editor: The problems in the Nigeria's Delta region that is spawning this rebellion are deep and have been there for a very long time .... this video provides a good explanation .... Nigeria: Oil brings corruption and damage.

More News On The Rise Of Militant Attacks On Nigeria's Oil Industry

Niger Delta Avengers vow to zero crude oil production in Nigeria -- Today
Nigeria bleeds as pipeline bombings, vandalism wreaks economy -- Vanguard
Darkness looms over Nigeria as delta attacks cut power -- Bloomberg
Niger Delta Avengers attack Shell for not heeding their warning -- AllAfrica.com
NIGER DELTA AVENGERS: We just blew up 2 Chevron oil wells -- Business Insider
Chevron affected by Niger Delta attacks -- Africa Report
The Niger Delta Avengers: Nigeria's newest militants -- BBC

Peace Talks Begin In Nigeria's Oil Rich Delta Region

Armed groups have been fighting for more than 20 years for more of the money earned by oil exports Photo: AFP/GETTY

Rebels Enter Talks With Nigerian Government -- Wall Street Journal

LONDON -- Nigeria's main militant faction said it was starting a serious dialogue with Nigeria's government after its emissaries formally met the president Saturday, reviving hopes that improvement in the country's oil production could be sustained.

In an email, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, confirmed the first formal meeting between president Umaru Yar'Adua and its "Aaron team" of negotiators.

"This meeting heralds the beginning of serious, meaningful dialogue between MEND and the Nigerian government to deal with and resolve root issues that have long been swept under the carpet," it said.

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More News On Nigerian Peace Talks

Nigeria militants start peace talks with president -- Yahoo News/AP
Nigerian president in 'fruitful' oil rebel talks -- AFP
Niger Delta peace talks raise hopes of oil boost and an end to kidnappings -- The Telegraph
Nigerian militants say peace talks start with govt -- Reuters
Nigerian rebels negotiating with regime -- UPI
Nigerian President Holds Talks With Rebel Group -- Voice of America

Nigerian Peace Talks Have Collapsed -- Oil War To Continue

Photo from 234Next.com

Nigerian Amnesty Plan For Oil Militants Falls Flat -- McClatchy News

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria's latest plan to end militant attacks in the volatile Niger River delta that have cut oil production to a 20-year low appears to have collapsed.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed the plan during a visit to Nigeria earlier this month, in hopes of bringing some semblance of peace to a region that is a major U.S. source of foreign oil.

But the delta's main militant group over the weekend dismissed the three-week-old plan as "a charade" and vowed to resume attacks after a ceasefire expires Sept. 15.

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More News On Nigeria

Nigeria rebel group to resume attacks, ends talks -- Reuters
UPDATE: Nigerian Militants: To Resume Attacks On Oil Industry -- CNN
Niger Delta group ends ceasefire -- Al Jazeera
‘MEND resumes attack September 15’ -- Business Day
MEND threatens to resume attacks after amnesty expiry -- 234Next.com
Alaibe Cautions MEND against Threatened Attack -- This Day

Is Peace Possible In Nigeria?

Nigeria Says 10,000 Rebels Could Get Amnesty -- Yahoo News/AFP

ABUJA (AFP) – Up to10,000 militants in the troubled Niger Delta could benefit from an amnesty offered by the Nigerian government aimed at ending attacks which have crippled the country's oil industry, a top official overseeing the amnesty said Friday.

"We are working in the region of about 10,000 militants," the chief coordinator of the amnesty implementation committee, Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ararile, told a press conference.

He said the militants were in between 50 and 60 camps in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.

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More News On Nigeria

Nigerian amnesty could affect 10,000 militants -- Forbes/AP
Nigeria 'ready for 10,000 rebels' -- BBC
Nigerian militants declare ceasefire -- Financial Times
Nigeria's peace hopes rest on Okah -- BBC
Nigerian Peace Remains Elusive After Oil Region Truce -- Bloomberg
Relaxed ambiance in military base of Nigeria's tense Delta -- Africasia
Nigeria's crude production falls sharply: industry sources -- Africasia

Nigerian Militants Say Chevron Facility Destroyed

A Chevron pumping station on the Sambreiro River. Photo AFP

From Yahoo News/AFP:

LAGOS (AFP) – Nigerian militants said Monday they destroyed a Chevron oil pipeline junction in the latest attack on Nigeria's key money earner since the government offered an amnesty.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it attacked the Okan manifold late Sunday.

According to the rebels, the manifold controls about 80 percent of the crude that Chevron Nigeria Limited sends to its BOP Crude Loading Platform.

A Chevron spokesman said an investigation had started and no comment would be made.

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Update: Nigeria militants claim to hijack chemical tanker -- AP

My Comment: This war is spiraling out of control, and with almost 2 million barrels of oil production per day at stake, the consequences from any long term disruption to world markets will be severe.

Nigeria's Civil War Over Oil Continues -- News Updates For July 5, 2009N

A member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) poses with a heavy machine-gun in the Niger Delta in 2008. MEND rebels announced on Sunday they had launched a fresh attack on an oil facility run by the Anglo-Dutch group Shell in the restive Niger Delta. (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

Nigerian Rebels Claim New Attack On Shell Facility -- Yahoo News/AFP

LAGOS (AFP) – Nigerian rebels announced on Sunday they had launched a fresh attack on an oil facility run by the Anglo-Dutch group Shell in the restive Niger Delta.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement it had attacked "the Shell well head at Cawthorn Channel 1" which connects with the Bonny loading terminal in Rivers state at 3:00 am Sunday.

Shell said it was investigating the claim.

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More News On Nigeria

Militant Group Seeks Armistice Not Amnesty For Niger Delta Crisis -- Wall Street Journal
Attacks Cripple Shell's Niger Delta Operations -- Wall Street Journal
Nigeria militants attack Shell, amnesty hopes fade -- The Guardian
Nigeria Militants: Will Attack Trans-Sahara Pipe If Built -- Wall Street Journal
Niger Delta Militants Threaten Trans-Saharan Pipeline -- Voice of America
Nigeria, Algeria, Niger seal $10 bln gas pipeline deal -- AFP
FACTBOX: Which oil firms are affected by Niger Delta unrest? -- Reuters
Nigerian Rebels Drive Up Oil Prices -- Washington Post
Human Rights Tragedy in Niger Delta, Says Amnesty International -- Modern Ghana
Shell Disputes Amnesty Report on Nigeria -- New York Times

The Nightmare Of Nigeria's Oil-Rich Delta

Niger Delta militants show off their firepower during
armed combat training in the jungle. Photo: REUTERS

From Yahoo News/AFP:

LAGOS (AFP) – Immensely rich in oil and gas, the Niger Delta is the cornerstone of Nigeria's economy, but the southern region is a nightmare for both the authorities and its poor residents.

Rebels on Monday announced their latest raid on a Shell oil facility, saying they had caused a "massive explosion" at the Forcados terminal and sunk a military gunboat with a score of troops aboard after a gun battle.

President Umaru Yar'Adua, in office since May 2007, has officially made the Delta a priority, but sabotage and the clashes go on, oil production falls and grinding hardship is widespread.

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More News On Nigeria's Oil Conflict

Oil rises to near $70 on another attack in Nigeria -- AP
Nigerian Militants say Offshore Facility on Fire -- Voice of America
MEND destroys Shell platform in Monday attack -- NEXT
Shell Confirms Nigerian Attack; Some Output Shut Down -- Wall Street Journal
Militants attack Nigeria oil base -- BBC
President orders amnesty for top Nigeria rebel -- Reuters

Nigeria's Oil Unrest Continues

Fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) brandish their weapons in the Niger Delta. MEND, Nigeria's biggest armed group dismissed an amnesty offer from the government as "unrealistic" and charged that the military was being put on a warpath in the oil-rich Niger Delta. (AFP/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

Militant Camps Destroyed In Niger Delta -- Yahoo News/AFP

LAGOS (AFP) – The Nigerian military on Saturday said it had raided and destroyed two militant camps in the volatile Niger Delta as part of efforts to end violence in the oil-rich region.

Military spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar said government "troops acting on credible intelligence" conducted a cordon and search operation in the Bakana community in Rivers state to recover arms and ammunition from the militants.

He said the military was attacked during the operation, resulting in a " heavy exchange of gunfire between the troops of Joint Task Force (JTF) and the militants."

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My Comment: This will only be a temporary military victory. The fact is that many of the people who live in the oil rich Delta Region of Nigeria feel that they have been abandoned by the Central Government, and are being continually exploited for the resources that is under their feet.

This sense of being exploited pervades throughout the region, and until the Central Government addresses these needs .... there will always be a replacement for every militant that the Nigerian military is successful in killing.

Nigeria's Oil War

Nigerian Rebels Attack Shell Gas Plant -- Press TV

Nigeria's main opposition militant group, MEND, has attacked a gas plant operated by Royal Dutch Shell and threatens more attacks to come.

Fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) reportedly assailed the Utorogu gas plant in the Delta state. The Joint Task Force (JTF), a military outfit in the Niger Delta, however killed three of the militants during an operation meant to repel their attack.

A spokesman for Shell in Nigeria confirmed the attack and said one employee of its Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) joint venture and two contractors had been hurt but were in a stable condition and hospitalized in Warri, Delta State.

Oil facilities in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil producing region, are frequently attacked by militants, who claim to fight for what they call the exploitation of the people of the region by multinational companies.

Read more ....

More News On Nigeria's Oil War

Nigerian Oil Workers Protest Kidnappings -- Voice of America
Nigerian oil workers go on strike -- BBC
How Corruption Fuels Violence in Nigeria -- This Day
Cash Crunch Hits Oil Sector -- Leadership Nigeria

Nigerian Rebels Declare Cease-Fire in Oil Region

An oil and gas terminal in the Niger Delta. Nigeria's main armed militant group says it has destroyed a key pipeline run by Royal Dutch Shell in the sixth attack in nearly as many days and vowed to reduce oil exports to "zero". (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

From The New York Times:

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s main militant group declared a unilateral cease-fire in the southern oil region on Sunday. If it holds, it will end the worst spate of militant attacks to afflict the region in years.

The group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said it would cease hostilities immediately, in response to appeals from elders and politicians in the region.

The group said, however, that it would retaliate if the Nigerian military struck any of its base camps.

The militant group emerged about three years ago, calling for more oil revenue to go to the southern states where the petroleum is pumped. Three years of attacks have cut Nigeria’s oil production from 2.5 million barrels per day to around 1.5 million barrels.

A military operation on Sept. 14 prompted the latest violence. Before that, clashes between the military and the militants were rare, with the two sides avoiding outright confrontation.

Read more ....

More News On Nigeria

Nigeria militants call oil truce -- Financial Times
Nigerian Rebels Declare Ceasefire in Delta -- Voice Of America
Militants Suspend Attacks on Oil Facilities -- This Day
Crude Oil Falls After Nigerian Militants Call End to Attacks -- Bloomberg
Nigerian militants halt 'oil war' -- BBC
Nigerian militants declare ceasefire in delta -- Forbes/Reuters
Nigerian armed group declares ceasefire in 'oil war' -- AFP

My Comment: I have lost count in the past six months on how many ceasefires have been arranged in this part of Nigeria. Like most of Africa, Nigeria is becoming a failed state in which numerous factions and ethnic groups are fighting among each other for resources and money. I expect the oil producing area of Nigeria to fall into this status as a failed state very soon.

Nigeria's Continuing Oil Wars

Fighters with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in Niger Delta. Militants in Nigeria say they have destroyed a pipeline run by Royal Dutch Shell in the sixth attack of a declared "oil war," with the armed group vowing to reduce oil exports to "zero". (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

Group Declares Ceasefire In Nigeria's South -- Yahoo News/AP

LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's main militant group declared a ceasefire in the southern oil region on Sunday, ending the worst spate of militant attacks in years to hit Africa's oil giant.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it was ceasing hostilities immediately after appeals from elders and politicians in the restive southern region.

The group said in an emailed statement that it would launch another spate of reprisal attacks in the event of another military raid on one of the group's base camps.

A military operation on Sept. 14 prompted the latest surge in violence. Before that, clashes between the military and militants were rare and normally avoided outright confrontation. The militants declared a state of war, but called it off Sunday.

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My Comment: The message is clear .... pay us what we want and we may decide not to attack your economic infrastructure. This is not going to work. There are just too many gangs in this region, with many who will never be satisfied with what they may get.

Nigeria's Oil War Continues

Nigerian militants celebrate a successful raid against an oil facility in the Niger Delta earlier this week. Militants in Nigeria say they have destroyed a pipeline run by Royal Dutch Shell in the sixth attack of a declared "oil war," with the armed group vowing to reduce oil exports to "zero". (AFP/File/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

Nigeria Militants Wage Most Intense Oil War For Years -- Reuters

LAGOS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Nigerian militants said on Saturday they had destroyed another major oil pipeline in the Niger Delta after a week of the most intense attacks against Africa's biggest oil and gas industry for years.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had attacked a pipeline operated by Royal Dutch Shell at Buguma Front in Rivers state late on Friday and warned its campaign was not over.

A Shell spokeswoman in Nigeria said the company was investigating the claim, but gave no further details.

The Anglo-Dutch giant, the company hardest hit by the violence, declared a second force majeure on Bonny Light oil shipments on Friday following the week's unrest but gave no details on production.

"MEND will continue to nibble every day at the oil infrastructure in Nigeria until the oil exports reach zero," the group said in an e-mailed statement.

MEND fighters have hit pipelines, flow stations and oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta every day since last Sunday, when the group declared an "oil war" in response to what it said were military ground and air strikes.

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My Comment: The various guerrilla groups in the Delta region are determined to destroy Nigeria's oil infrastructure through attrition. This reminds me of what an American officer had to say about the Vietnam War .... we had to destroy the village in order to save it. In Nigeria, the various factions are destroying the oil industry in order to prosper from it.

Nigeria's Oil Wars Continue

Nigerian separatist militants on the Escravos River. The most prominent militant group in oil-rich southern Nigeria on Sunday said it had declared an "oil war" and threatened all international industry vessels that approach the region. (AFP/File/Dave Clark)

Nigerian Militants Launch New Attacks In "Oil War"
-- Reuters

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian militants on Monday attacked a Shell-operated oil facility, forcing the evacuation of nearly 100 staff, in a third day of fighting with security forces in the Niger Delta.

Security sources said the three days of clashes were the heaviest between the two sides since the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) launched a campaign of violence in early 2006 saying they wanted more local control of the impoverished region's oil wealth.

MEND declared an "oil war" on Sunday and warned all oil workers to leave the delta immediately, threatening to disrupt production further in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.

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My Comment: This is going to set back Nigeria's oil industry and development by years.

Militant Turf War Kills Three In Nigerian Oil City

Nigerian Militants in a Speedboat

From Reuters:

PORT HARCOURT, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A turf war between rival gangs in Nigeria's Niger Delta has spread to the main oil city of Port Harcourt, with sporadic gunbattles in its waterfront slums killing at least three people, witnesses said on Saturday.

Fighters from one militant faction in the delta arrived in speedboats late on Friday to attack a rival gang and bursts of intense gunfire were reported in the heavily populated shanty neighbourhoods of Bundu, Dockyard and Yam Zone, residents said.

Police commissioner Bala Hassan said a joint military task force intervened to try to repel the attackers.

"Considering the intensity of the fighting last night, it is possible that some people were killed among the militants," Hassan told Reuters.

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My Comment: Everyone is scrambling for a piece of the oil pie.

Brown Blunders In Pledge to Secure Nigeria Oil

Militant groups in the Niger Delta have targeted multinational oil firms

From The Independent:

PM's offer of military aid to Nigeria provokes collapse of ceasefire amid angry claims that UK has 'declared war' on rebel army

Gordon Brown is being accused of preparing for a military adventure in Africa after he pledged to provide backing to the Nigerian security forces. His announcement prompted the collapse of a ceasefire in the oil-rich Niger Delta and helped to drive up crude oil prices on world markets.

The Prime Minister's offer to help "tackle lawlessness" in the world's eighth largest oil producer was immediately condemned by the main militant group in the Delta, which abandoned a two-week-old ceasefire and accused Britain of backing what it calls Nigeria's "illegal government". The group issued a "stern warning" to Mr Brown in an emailed statement: "Should Gordon Brown make good his threat to support this criminality for the sake of oil, UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequences."

Read more ....

More News On Nigeria

Nigerian group 'to end ceasefire' -- BBC News
Brown promises to aid Nigerian government -- UPI
Britain to train army in Nigeria to combat delta rebels -- Independent
Britain considers options on Niger Delta -- The Punch
British government confirms talks with Nigeria on oil supplies -- Monsters And Critics
Vandalism rampant Niger delta region of Nigeria -- China View
Nigeria navy arrests Filipinos on ship of stolen oil -- Reuters South Africa

My Comment: Expect the price of oil to shoot over $150 this week. If Nigeria's oil output is compromised, this will be disastrous for everyone. For the rebels in Nigeria, their altitude is that they have nothing to lose .... and they are right