Nigerian militants deny Shell pipeline sabotage (Roundup)

Feb 1, 2010, 11:32 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main militant group on Monday denied involvement in the sabotage of a Royal Dutch Shell pipeline, which forced the company to close three flow stations on Saturday.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) on Saturday called off a three-month ceasefire and warned that oil companies should expect an 'all-out onslaught.'

However, the group said it was not directly involved in the attack, which came only hours after the end of the ceasefire.

Shell on Sunday said it was forced to shut down three flow stations following an 'act of sabotage' on the Trans Ramos pipeline in Bayelsa State in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

The company said that oil had leaked into the creeks of the delta and that it was in the process of cleaning up this oil. No timescale was given on how long it would take to repair the pipeline.

Attacks had slashed the West African nation's oil production by about 25 per cent and helped drive up global oil prices before MEND agreed to the ceasefire in October to allow dialogue.

The move came after many of MEND's commanders and rank-and-file soldiers took advantage of a government amnesty to lay down their arms.

However, MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement Saturday that his group had become disillusioned by the government's failure to address the root causes of the conflict.

MEND says it is fighting for a share of oil revenue for Niger Delta residents, who complain that multinational oil companies have ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods and caused major environmental damage in the delta's creeks.

The group said that the absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua due to illness and his failure to delegate power had held up talks.

Yar'Adua has been undergoing treatment for a heart problem in Saudi Arabia since November. His absence has sparked a political crisis in Nigeria.

Gbomo said that the group would now redouble its efforts to sabotage the oil industry.

'All companies related to the oil industry in the Niger Delta should prepare for an all-out onslaught against their installations and personnel. Nothing will be spared,' he said.

It is unclear whether all of MEND's forces or just a splinter group are set to return to conflict.

The setback will come as a blow to Nigeria, which was slowly beginning to ramp up its oil production again.

Attacks by MEND and the siphoning off of oil by criminal gangs slashed the West African nation's oil production from 2.6 million barrels per day in early 2006 to around 1.7 million barrels prior to the amnesty.