Abuja
21 June 2008
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has ordered a military offensive tocurb the rising mayhem in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The action comesdays after oil rebels attacked a key petroleum facility in the region.Gilbert da Costa has more for VOA in this report from Abuja.
Thepresident's spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, told reporters that a majormilitary crackdown in the troubled Niger Delta is inevitable as thegovernment seeks to halt the spiraling violence.
"While thefederal government remains fully committed to rapid resolution ofproblems and grievance of the people of the Niger Delta, it will notshirk its responsibility for law and order, as well as the safety oflives and property in the Niger Delta and all other parts of Nigeria.Militants in the region who continue to spurn the peace overtures ofthe federal government must be prepared to face the full consequencesof taking up arms against their fatherland," he said. "The federalgovernment will take all necessary action to stop criminals fromwillfully depriving the region of this indispensable ingredient ofdevelopment."
The planned military offensive comes after Deltarebels stormed the offshore Bonga oil fields operated by Royal DutchShell, in the vast wetland region which has all of Nigeria's oil,resulting in the company's decision to cut output by 200,000 barrelsper day.
The most powerful rebel group in the region, theMovement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, has claimedresponsibility for the attack and promised further raids on the oilindustry.
The group has made the release of its presumed leader,Henry Okah, who is currently on trial for treason, a pre-condition forsuspending its campaign of violence.
At peak production levels,Nigeria can pump around 2.6 million barrels of crude daily, but attacksby militants have cut production by 25 percent.
Delta rebelssay they are fighting for control of the region's oil wealth, but theirfight is intertwined with communal and ethnic rivalries in the delta,where kidnapping for ransom, extortion and oil theft are also bigbusiness.
Despite the rising tensions, the government says constructive dialogue with local communities will continue.
Authoritieshave acknowledged that poverty and neglect lie at the root of many ofthe Delta's problems. Recent measures to try and foster development inthe region have failed to quell discontent.
Nigeria has lost itsstatus as Africa's leading oil producer to Angola since April and atleast one Western oil company, Total, is reviewing its future operationin Nigeria due to the violence.