Nigeria militants threaten new "oil war" if attacked

Tue 11 Nov 2008, 6:39 GMT

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's most prominent militant group threatened on Monday 
to renew attacks on the oil sector if soldiers stormed its hideouts, but a 
military spokesman denied such plans.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it believed 
the military was planning to launch an assault on two of its camps in Delta and 
Bayelsa states in southern Nigeria

"This will be a big mistake as it will lead to another oil war where we are 
sure of a landslide victory," it said in an e-mailed statement.

Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Musa, spokesman for the military task force in 
Bayelsa, denied any plan to attack militant camps.

"It is always a media war. They are just trying to hype the tension," he said.

In September MEND staged what it called a six-day "oil war," attacking oil 
installations and forcing Royal Dutch Shell to warn it might not be able to 
meet all its export commitments from Nigeria.

The group has since declared a ceasefire and repeatedly accused the military of 
trying to provoke it into confrontation.

Attacks by MEND have cut Nigeria's oil output by around a fifth since early 
2006. The country is currently pumping just under 2 million barrels per day, 
well below its capacity of around 3 million bpd, because of the insecurity and 
chronic funding shortfalls.

The militant group said on Sunday it would continue to hold two Britons hostage 
until the British government dropped plans to train Nigerian soldiers in the 
delta, the heart of the OPEC member's oil sector.

The two captives were among 27 oil workers kidnapped by gunmen in early 
September.

At least 21 of the hostages have been released and MEND said it freed four 
others late on Sunday. But a military spokesman on Monday could not confirm the 
release of the four hostages.

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4AA035.html



      


------------------------------------

Kunjungi situs http://www.info-saham.com untuk informasi seputar saham.

DILARANG KERAS MEMOSTING OPINI PRIBADI TENTANG POLITIK DI MILIS INI.
Silahkan lakukan itu di milis [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[EMAIL PROTECTED] untuk berhenti dari milis saham
[EMAIL PROTECTED] untuk bergabung ke milis saham
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saham/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saham/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
    mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    [EMAIL PROTECTED]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Kirim email ke