AFRICA/NIGERIA - Fighting continues in the Niger Delta in spite of ceasefire and appeal to guerrillas to put down their arms

Lagos (Agenzia Fides) – Fighting continues in the Niger Delta (southern Nigeria) between the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Armed Forces and rebels of the MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta).
The local Navy claims to have killed at least 7 people in a shoot off.
Thus, the ceasefire called for just days ago, following pressures from humanitarian groups concerned for the civilians, has ended. The Catholic Church also launched an appeal to help the local people who are victims in the fighting, with a letter from the President of the Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Feliz Alaba-Job of Ibadan (see Fides 29/5/2009).
The Nigerian press compares the offensive of the Joint Task Force to the military operations of the Sr Lankan Army in the face of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). The President of Nigeria has said on various occasions that he offers a truce to the MEND if they put down their arms, however his appeal seems to have been ignored.
As in the case of Sri Lanka, the Army has received the order of making the MEND's activity end once and for all, as they are causing great damage to the oil industry in the area. Oil is number one among Nigeria's exports.
The MEND says they are fighting to defend the interests of the local people, who suffer from the results of oil-rigging without receiving any compensation in the form of jobs and infrastructure (schools, hospitals, etc.). However, various groups are working under its auspices, sometimes causing internal conflicts and even pursuing criminal purposes. The MEND has become famous around the world for their kidnapping of engineers and workers present at the oil stations in the area. The hostages are freed, in exchange for large sums of money. The kidnappings, as an activity for propaganda (as a foreign hostage makes international headlines) and as a means of self-financing, have become their real industry, so much so that they are even kidnapping Nigerians who do not work in the oil business.
It is clear that any government cannot tolerate such a situation of instability and illegality in such an important area. Thus, the decision to launch a military attack that is probably “modestly” funded by several foreign nations who have provided the arms and military consultants.
In mid-May, the operation of the Joint Task Force “Restore Hope” was begun. Interestingly enough, this task force carries the same name as the one launched in 1992 with UN approval, from the United States in Somalia, to protect humanitarian aid from the attacks of local militia.
The civilian population, for whom all sides claim to be fighting, are the ones that most suffer the consequences of the war, with death, dispersion, and thousands of refugees that have seen their homes destroyed. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2009)