|
French workers 'found' after Nigeria abduction
[Gulf Times] Nigeria's most prominent militant group has claimed to have located three French oil workers kidnapped from their ship after an attack that led to a two-hour gun battle with authorities.The Nigerian military searched yesterday for the four victims - a Thai national was also kidnapped - after an attack that saw abductors approach an oil platform in speedboats, then switch to another vessel to cover their tracks. France said it did not know whereabouts of its nationals. "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) can confirm that it has located the three abducted French nationals and another individual abducted in a separate incident on the same night," the militant group said in a statement late on Wednesday. But a French foreign affairs ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said: "We are not able to confirm the whereabouts of our compatriots." Mend, which has staged similar attacks in the past and has also been seen as an umbrella group for local armed gangs in the oil-producing Niger Delta, said it was negotiating with the abductors to have the victims transferred to them. "When this is done, we will be in a better position to give further information about their state of health and the duration of their stay with us." Wednesday's kidnapping, the second hostage drama for French energy workers in West Africa in less than a week, occurred despite an amnesty deal in the Niger Delta that has seen thousands of ex-fighters give up their weapons. French and Nigerian officials said they suspected the kidnapping was purely criminal - unlike last week's abduction of French nationals in the neighbouring nation of Niger, claimed by Al Qaeda's north Africa branch. "Everything points to it being a classic act of piracy," French Defence Minister Herve Morin said. No ransom demands have been made yet, said Nadal. The early morning raid began with attackers trying to approach an oil platform off Bonny Island, Nigeria's main export terminal. The abductors had first arrived in the area on speedboats, then boarded an oil services ship to disguise themselves, Navy spokesman David Nabaida said. It was unclear how they gained access to the ship. As they approached the platform, a naval deployment guarding oil installations in the area sought to push them back and a heavy gunbattle ensued. On pulling away from the platform, the militants captured the Thai victim from a nearby ship, he said. He was unclear of the details of the kidnapping of the French victims. "They (the attackers) were very well armed," Nabaida said. "There was a serious exchange of gunfire between them and our men for close to two-and-a-half-hours." While Mend said the French crew and another victim were taken in separate incidents, it did not provide details or the nationality of the fourth person. The French sailors' employer, maritime services firm Bourbon, said they were abducted when pirates equipped with several speedboats attacked their 2,000-tonne tug and supply ship. Its boat had been working on a field owned by Addax Petroleum, a Swiss-based subsidiary of the Chinese energy giant Sinopec. After the seaways off Somalia, the Gulf of Guinea south of Nigeria is one of the world's most notorious pirate hunting grounds, and ships working in the region's huge oil industry have often been targeted by kidnap gangs. Some gangs have been purely criminal, while others, including Mend, claimed to be fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenue. An amnesty deal offered last year has led to a sharp decline in attacks, but some fear a return of unrest if the programme is not followed through. Posted by: Fred 2010-09-24 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=306258 |