10 Mar 2006: ISS Today: Nigeria: Militants Fight Military

10 MARCH 2006: NIGERIAN MILITANTS FIGHT MILITARY
BBC

The Nigerian army claims that it has fought an extended engagement on Wednesday with a force of hundreds of well-armed militants attacking a petrol tanker in the Niger Delta. They say that escorting vessels warded off the attackers, who were in 30 speedboats. For its part, the rebel Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) says its patrols were attacked by the Nigerian military. Both sides claim to have inflicted serious casualties on their opponents.

Commentary

Since the last months of 2005, the insurgents in the Niger Delta have shown growing boldness in their ability to confront the Nigerian forces in an area of mangrove swamp and creeks difficult to patrol. Their depredations have caused increasing damage to oil installations and pipelines, and a number of foreign workers have been kidnapped, further raising the profile of MEND. Using the profits generated by the siphoning of oil and by ransoms raised for their captives, the rebels are able to access with ease the vast market in arms and ammunition in the West African region. The international oil companies are alarmed by the effects on their lucrative activities in the Delta, and are also being made increasingly sensitive to the adverse public relations ensuing from too close a cooperation with a heavy-handed and indiscriminate military response on the part of Abuja. Attacks on oil platforms, in particular, have drawn attention to the vulnerability of these structures, which are so vital to the production of the Gulf of Guinea. With this in mind, and conscious of the ever greater role West African oil will play in supplying the energy needs of the United sates over the next decade, the US has been encouraging the formation of “brown-water” navies by West Africa’s coastal states In December 2005 more solid agreements were made with the Nigerian government providing for greater cooperation with a developing US naval presence in the region.

As the positioning and campaigning steps up momentum over the next months, the Niger Delta is likely to come ever more into the world spotlight, perhaps less out of concern for the fate of the local peoples who are now exposed to the operations of rebels, armed opportunists and ruthless government reaction, than because of the possible impact on global oil prices.

Richard Cornwell