Niger Delta Militants Declare “Oil War”

The most prominent militant group in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta on Monday declared an “oil war” in response to last Saturday’s massive bombardment of one of their strongholds by the army. MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo released a statement on the internet, declaring war on Nigeria’s oil industry by bombing pipelines, platforms, gas plants and oilfields in Rivers State. On Tuesday, the group, whose attacks have reduced Nigeria’s oil output by about a fifth since 2006, claimed to have destroyed a major crude oil pipeline belonging to the Shell Petroleum Company .[PE]