MEND Claims Clashes Continue

The main militant group in Nigeria's southern oil region declared a state of war Sunday after two days of clashes with the armed forces, raising the specter of a stepped-up conflict in Africa's oil giant.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has mostly focused on hobbling Nigeria's oil industry since it emerged nearly three years ago, bombing pipelines in hopes of forcing the federal government to send more revenues to the impoverished oil-producing south.

But a military task force involving marine, land and air forces has stepped up its anti-militant activities in recent weeks, and the militant group said that two days of relatively rare ground battles with the military meant the region was in a state of war.

"Following a previous warning that any attack on our positions will be tantamount to a declaration of an oil war, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has declared an oil war," said a statement from the group, known by its acronym MEND.

It was unclear if the declaration would have any real effect on the ground in the Niger Delta. Neither side has sought a full-blown civil war, although Nigerian media have reported that some elements in the military were pushing for more-robust attacks on the militants.

MEND is a loose alliance of militant and criminal gangs who steal Nigerian oil for sale overseas.

Most fighting is focused on hitting the oil industry, but a full-scale conflict with the military could leave the country's oil-pumping infrastructure in tatters, while jeopardizing the militants' own lucrative oil trade.

International oil companies would struggle to maintain the thousands of miles (kilometers) of pipelines connecting wells to export terminals. A shutdown of all oil production from Nigeria, one of the world's top producers and an OPEC member, would cause further spikes in oil prices.

The militants, who analysts say are motivated by money as well as politics, say they want more federally held oil funds for their states, which remain impoverished despite five decades of production in Africa's oil giant. Their attacks have cut about one-fifth of Nigeria's normal oil output, helping send crude prices to all-time highs in international markets.

On Sunday, militants said they attacked soldiers protecting sites run by Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell — payback for a rare ground battle Saturday when the armed forces attacked a militant base camp. The militants said seven of their fighters died in the Saturday attack.

Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, a spokesman for the military task force charged with calming the Niger Delta, said unknown fighters battled soldiers Sunday near two sites operated by Chevron and Shell in Rivers State. The militants said Sunday's fighting had killed 22 troops, but Musa denied that claim.

Representatives for Shell and Chevron said the companies were investigating reports of an incident and had no immediate comment.

The militants also said they blew up other pieces of oil infrastructure, but those claims couldn't be immediately verified. The group warned international oil companies to stay away from the region.

"All international oil and gas loading vessels entering the region are warned to drop anchor in the high sea or divert elsewhere until further notice. Failure to comply is taking a foolhardy risk of attack and destruction of the vessel," the group said.

The militants said they had attacked a military outpost in recent weeks, killing 29 military personnel in response to alleged killings of civilians. The government denied that any attacks took place. The accounts could not be independently verified.

Large-scale battles between the militants and military are rare. While the military often skirmishes with gunmen during chance boat encounters on the region's waterways, it has avoided major attacks on militant camps and other permanent positions.

The militants generally avoid the armed forces, sticking to the back creeks of the delta as they roam the region. The weekend's battles are unusual examples of clashes between massed forces.

(International Herald Tribune)