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Nigeria MEND rebels declare 'oil war'
Nigeria's main rebel group declares an 'oil war' in the nation in response to alleged 'unprovoked attacks' by Nigerian forces on its positions. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued an e-mail statement on Sunday, saying it was making good on a previous threat that any attack on its positions will be tantamount to a declaration of an oil war. It said Nigerian forces attacked its positions in the Rivers State on Saturday. The strikes prompted MEND to deploy heavily armed fighters in hundreds of war boats with the intention of carrying out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers state. MEND is the largest rebel group in Nigeria, and has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006. It has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment. MEND hopes to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the Niger Delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-15 |
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