Nigeria's most prominent militant group in the Niger Delta energy-rich region, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), have 'declared war' on foreign owned oil companies working in the region.
Two days of gun battles with security forces guarding facilities have resulted in the death of 22 Nigerian solders and the destruction of both flow stations and oil pipelines.
The Movement released a statement saying that they have launched 'Hurricane Barossa' in response to attacks by the government's aerial and marine forces. Both sides say their opponents suffered heavy losses in the fighting.
Chevron confirmed that one of its oil platforms was attacked by rebels, on Sunday, but added that production had already been shut down stemming from a previous attack from the rebels in late July.
A security spokesman also speculated that a Shell-operated plant, in Soku, had been attacked.
The MEND, responsible for attacks that have cut OPEC’s oil output by a fifth, repeated its warning for all oil workers to evacuate the Delta and expanded its threat to oil vessels.
In an e-mailed statement the group claimed that: “The operation will continue until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue.”
MEND, is the largest militia operating in the impoverished Delta region. They group has a history of frequently kidnapping foreign oil workers and sabotaging oil installations and pipelines.
Unsurprisingly, the Nigerian President, Umara Yar’adua, has found himself under increasing pressure to crack down on the rebels and make the Delta region safer for international oil firms to operate in.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, a military spokesman for the task force in Rivers State said: “We are hopeful they will give up the fight very soon.”
The Colonel added in reference to Saturday’s operations: “There were heavy casualties on the part of the militants.” The government security forces used helicopters, jet fighters and more than 20 gunboats in a successful attempt to repel the militants, albeit temporarily.
The Niger Delta accounts for most of Nigeria's oil output of two million barrels per day (bpd), making it the world's eighth biggest exporter of oil.
Insecurity in the region has cut the West African country's output by around a fifth since early 2006, when MEND began blowing up oil pipelines and kidnapping foreign workers, helping to contribute to rising world oil prices.
Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, Eni, and – as previously mentioned - Chevron, are among the numerous oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.
The Niger Delta region is the source of most of the Nigerian government's income, yet it remains blighted by poverty and corruption.