Nigeria

Oil pipeline blown up in Bayelsa state

Article published on the 2008-07-17 Latest update 2008-07-18 09:18 TU

UK's Prime Minister Gordon Brown meets Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua
(Credit: Reuters)

Nigerian villagers blew up a crude oil supply pipeline operated by Agip in Bayelsa state early Thursday. The attack seems to have been conducted by local villagers and followed a waterborne shootout yesterday near Port Harcourt between militants and Nigerian security forces in which five people were killed and several wounded. Italian company Eni, of which Agip is the Nigerian subsidiary, did not immediately confirm the attack had taken place.

Eni issued a statement that there had been a drop in pressure on a pipeline, resulting in a shortfall  of 47,000 barrels.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), the main rebel group in the region, ended a two-week ceasefire last Saturday in retaliation for an earlier British promise of help for the government's efforts to tackle the violence.

Meanwhile Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua is in the UK to secure help to fight violence in the Delta region.  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that his country would offer military training to help crack down on violence, as well as find oil smugglers.

Brown's comments "were interpreted as intervening in Nigeria to secure oil fields. I think that was a misreading," Elizabeth Donnelly, Africa program director at Chatham House told RFI.

"Things in the Niger Delta are so fragile right now, it doesn't take much to upset people. There is a lot of frustration, a lot of anger festering," she added.