Trouble in the Delta

The unrest continues in the Niger River Delta.

Unidentified gunmen have stormed the offices of Italian oil company Agip in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria.

At least nine people were killed in the assault. It is reported that seven of the dead were policemen and two were civilians working at the complex.

The gunmen attacked the riverside offices on speedboats and made their escape in the same way, having stolen a large amount of money, witnesses said.

The militants have used fast boats in a number of attacks since late December. The violence has led to a 10% decrease in oil production in Nigeria, and the price of oil is factoring in the impact on supply. Oil is closing in on $70/barrel, up from just below $60/barrel when the trouble in Nigeria began to intensify.

Civilians are crowding into cities in the Delta to escape the violence.

Even as refugees continue to stream into major cities in the Niger Delta following the take over of the waterways by men of the Nigerian Armed Forces, two officials of the Delta State Government have been arrested by security agents for complicity in the kidnap.

The cities of Warri, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa are now hosts to unending stream of Ijaw refugees fleeing their homes in the swamps of the Niger Delta.

The refuges most of whom are of the Iduwini clan, whose land houses the four flowstations closed by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) following attacks by assailants said that are afraid of being used as "cannot fodders" in the event of an all battle between the military and the attackers.

There has been talking about deploying US Marines to the Delta to protect the oil facilities, but it is just talk at this point. If the violence continues though, and if it intensifies, look for pressure to bring in the Marines to increase.

This article from the Daily Independent reports:

Pentagon sources confirmed that officials are reviewing an agreement with Nigeria that would have marines protect oil facilities because of the growing battle between Nigerian armed forces and insurgents.
....
But other sources said the Niger Delta is rather too unstable to deploy marines.

"We do not want our forces to be directly involved in the military operation currently being undertaken by Nigerian forces. Subject to further discussions with Nigerian officials, the marines will only go in when the intensity of the conflict has reduced significantly", Pentagon officials said.

They recalled that the issue was discussed at a meeting between President Olusegun Obasanjo and security chiefs in Abuja.

Marines are better trained and equipped to tackle security in Nigeria’s South South but Washington is wary of being accused of "engaging in military conflict without the authorisation of Congress".

The formerly classified discussion between Abuja and Washington on the deployment was revealed by impeached Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyesegha, in Yenagoa last year at a meeting with stakeholders in the oil industry.

He said the Nigerian authorities were under pressure to deploy marines to protect American oil companies.