Nigeria’s main rebel group on Saturday called off a truce in the oil-rich Niger Delta, threatening an “all-out onslaught” and adding to the political and economic woes of Africa’s oil and gas giant.
The announcement is a fresh blow for authorities amid uncertainty over the health of the country’s president, in hospital in Saudi Arabia for more than two months, which has sparked an unprecendented political crisis.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had declared the unilateral ceasefire on Oct. 25 to allow “meaningful” dialogue with authorities.
PHOTO: AFP
But three months on, MEND said: “it is sufficiently clear that the government of Nigeria has no intentions of considering the demands made by this group for the control of the resources and land of the Niger Delta to be reverted to the rightful owners, the people of the Niger Delta.”
“All companies related to the oil industry in the Niger Delta should prepare for an all-out onslaught against their installations and personnel,” MEND said, adding: “Nothing will be spared.”
No comment could be immediately obtained from the government. However, one official speaking on condition of anonymity said MEND’s move was aimed at pressuring the government to appoint an interim head of state.
“The militants want to put pressure for an acting president,” the source said.
The MEND statement hinted that the federal government wanted the non-oil producing north, a mainly Muslim region as opposed to the Christian-dominated south, to benefit from the oil revenues.
Previous MEND attacks on Nigeria’s oil industry have played havoc with world oil prices.
On Friday, oil giant Royal Dutch Shell said it was selling certain assets in the Delta region to a local consortium.
The area includes about 30 wells with a production capacity of approximately 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
The wells also produce natural gas for domestic and industrial use, it said.
The peak of the rebel attacks saw Nigeria’s crude production slashed by about 1 million barrels a day and led to Angola overtaking it as Africa’s top oil producer.
Nigeria is the world’s eighth-largest crude exporter.
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