Nigeria Militants: Will Attack Trans-Sahara Pipe If Built
July 04 2009 - 9:01AM
Dow Jones News
A Nigerian militant group on Saturday reiterated that foreign
oil companies should leave the Niger Delta and threatened a planned
trans-Saharan pipeline project.
In an e-mail, a spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation
of the Niger Delta, or MEND, warned companies still operating in
the Delta, "namely Agip, Total (TOT), Shell and Exxon Mobil (XOM)
to leave while there is still time because within the next 72
hours" it may launch new attacks.
Chevron Corp. (CVX) said on May 25 it had interrupted its
onshore operations after a string of attacks on its pipelines.
The spokesman also said MEND "warns the investors to the
Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project that unless the Niger Delta root
issues have been addressed and resolved, any money put into the
project will go down the drain."
On Friday, Algeria, Niger and Nigeria signed an agreement to
kick off the process to build the $10 billion route, from where gas
will be shipped to Europe.
"We will ensure that it faces the same fate other pipelines are
facing today," the MEND spokesman said. He said the new threat came
as a traditional ruler in the Delta was allegedly seized by the
army.
The new warning comes after the government unveiled plans to
pardon the militants.
The MEND spokesman said "armistice as against amnesty for
freedom fighters is what MEND and Tompolo (a MEND leader) are
favorably disposed to for adoption as the next step to take towards
resolving the crisis."
-By Benoit Faucon, Dow Jones Newswires;
benoit.faucon@dowjones.com; 44-20-7842-9266