Nigerian militants accuse army of killing civilians (Roundup)

May 15, 2009, 15:48 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main oil militant group on Friday accused government forces of indiscriminately bombing villages and called for an all-out war in retaliation.

'The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is declaring an all out war in the region and calls upon all men of fighting age to enlist for our freedom,' the group's spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement.

The militant group said that women, children and the elderly were the main casualties in a government attack.

However, a military spokesman denied the charges, saying the only engagement on Friday came when troops burned a militant camp. MEND also claimed it had sunk or destroyed nine army gunboats and killed government soldiers.

None of the claims could be independently verified.

Nigerian forces sent to the restive Niger Delta to protect oil facilities and workers first clashed with MEND on Wednesday.

The militant group on Thursday said one of its affiliate groups had hijacked a foreign tanker chartered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and was holding its 15 foreign crewmembers.

MEND repeated its warning for all oil companies to evacuate the area by midnight. It earlier said the whole Niger Delta would be designated a no-fly zone for oil companies.

The group has issued such warnings many times in the past.

Militant groups operating in the Niger Delta claim they are fighting for a better share of wealth from the oil-rich region for local residents, who say the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods.

However, the government says the rebels are criminal gangs intent on stealing oil.

Attacks on oil facilities and workers have cut oil production in Nigeria, one of the world's largest crude oil exporters, by around a fifth.

Expatriate workers are often kidnapped for ransom or for use as human shields.