Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main militant group on Monday said
it had set a Royal Dutch Shell oil platform ablaze, the second attack
since the Nigerian government last week offered an amnesty to
militants.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has
conducted a long-running campaign of sabotage in the oil-producing
Niger Delta, cutting the West African nation's oil production by over
20 per cent since early 2006.
MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement that the
group had attacked the Shell Forcados oil platform in Delta State in
the early hours of the morning, leaving the facility on fire.
Shell confirmed that an attack had taken place, but the Nigerian
military denied claims that MEND has killed almost two dozen soldiers
in the attack.
President Umaru Yar'Adua last Thursday unveiled a 60-day amnesty
for the militants, offering a presidential pardon, education and
training to those who lay down their arms within that period.
The Nigerian army is to cease all anti-militant operations during
the 60 days.
Yar'Adua also offered to release militant leader Henry Okah, who
was arrested in Angola in 2007 and is facing charges of treason and
gun-running.
MEND responded by immediately attacking Shell's Afremo off-shore
oil field. The group has since rejected the amnesty, saying it was
not directed at them.
'The proclamation of amnesty seems to be directed at criminals
such as armed robbers, rapists, kidnappers seeking for ransom etc,'
Gbomo said.
Militants operating in the oil-producing Niger Delta say they are
fighting for a larger share of the wealth for local residents, who
complain the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing
livelihoods.
Criminal gangs and corrupt politicians are making vast amounts of
money by stealing oil from the region, observers say.
The impetus to resolve the unrest comes after Russian giant
Gazprom signed a cooperation deal with Nigeria's state- owned
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) during a visit last
Wednesday by President Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev said Moscow could invest up to 2.5 billion dollars in
Nigeria's energy sector as Russia tries to catch up with China in
gaining a slice of Africa's natural resources.
Nigeria is one of the world's top crude oil exporters, but it also
has significant gas reserves.
Gazprom is particularly keen to get involved in the Trans-Saharan
Pipeline, which is aimed at bringing Nigerian gas to Europe.
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