The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said late Monday it would resume “in the coming days” attacks on Nigeria’s crude oil exports.
“In pursuance of our pledge to cripple the Nigerian crude oil export industry, we will resume with attacks on pipelines around the entire Niger Delta, in the coming days,” MEND said in an email statement by Jomo Gbomo, its self-proclaimed spokesman.
In the past, Gbomo’s statements announcing impending attacks by MEND have come true, and in the imminent strikes on the export facilities, Gbomo said the group would leave no doubt as to who is responsible.
“All attacks will be followed by a statement claiming responsibility as has been our practice,” the statement said.
MEND, a coalition of militia groups in the Niger Delta, is fighting for greater regional control of oil and gas resources in the region.
The group attacks both personnel and facilities in the industry and has warned foreign oil workers to stay away from the region or risk being kidnapped. Scores of foreign and local oil workers have been attacked or kidnapped, though most have been released.
Already, attacks by militia groups have cut Nigeria’s crude oil output by 665, 000 barrels a day, while an additional 42,000 barrels a day were shut in Monday following a protest at a facility operated by Chevron Nigeria, a unit of ChevronTexaco (CVX). This brings to about 707,000 barrels a day the volume of crude oil shut in by oil producers in Nigeria.
Crude oil exports account for more than 75% of foreign earnings by Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with a population of more than 140 million people.