Niger Delta Militants Blow Up Two Major Pipelines

Abuja, Nairobi
Militants in Nigeria's restive Niger Delta blew up two major oil pipelines Monday, affecting the country’s output and helping push global oil prices higher. The militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the attack, which momentarily crippled the operations of the multination Royal Dutch Shell. A series of similar attacks staged by MEND have dipped Nigeria's overall oil production volume by about 20% since 2006. [PE]