Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – At least 70 people have died in the military attack being led in the Niger Delta, in southeast Nigeria, against the rebels of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Among the victims, 15 are soldiers, 42 are rebels, and 13 are civilians. The balance is still tentative at this time, and is bound to escalate as the operation remains underway.
The rebel group is famous throughout the world for kidnapping people of the international oil companies working in the area. The rebels claim that they are acting in the best interests of the local people who are having to pay the price of the exploitation of oil with pollution of their fields and water sources, receiving in exchange only a small part of the profits. The inhabitants of the area, who live on agriculture and fishing, see that their economic activity is compromised by the pollution of gas leakage.
In response to the guerrilla attacks, which are causing a heavy drop in oil investments, the Nigerian government has created a military operation to go after the rebels.
This elite force, backed by air and naval forces, is carrying out the attack these days. The governor of the Delta State, the main area witnessing the fighting, has asked the Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua to end the operations in Gbaramatu (in the same State) to end the suffering of civilians.
In response to the military attack, the MEND has declared open war on the region and has warned the oil companies that they should evacuate their personnel and stop production. The movement has also claimed that in the course of the army's attack on Camp 5, one of their most important bases, several hostages were killed. A military spokesman says that Camp 5 was taken over and dismantled by soldiers, who took several arms and munition.
The rebels, who are very attentive to the media aspect (MEND is famous for sending press statements to the media by e-mail), immediately replied that that they have simply transferred to another one of their 500 camps that they claim to have throughout the region. MEND also claims to have bombed two strategic facilities: an oil duct and a gas duct. The latter is of great importance, as it provides the gas for the electrical centrals in the country and presents the risk of a national blackout. The army, however, has denied that the two places suffered grave damages. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 20/05/2009)
