Nigerian militants free three Filipino hostages
LAGOS, Nigeria — Militants in Nigeria's southern oil delta said Monday they had destroyed major pipelines in the region and freed three Filipinos taken hostage earlier this month.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it had destroyed crude-bearing pipes run by Chevron Corp. early Monday in Delta State, where the military has launched its largest operation in years against militants.
The group said the destruction was intended to stanch the flow of oil from five so-called flow stations, which route crude oil from wells into larger pipes heading toward refineries and export terminals.
In a statement, the militants also said they had released three Filipino hostages seized earlier this month.
Officials for the military and Chevron were not immediately available for comment.
The military launched its operation in Rivers State nearly two weeks ago, after rare clashes between armed forces and the militants in the Scotland-sized region of swamps, rivers and creeks. The militants say they have killed at least 12 soldiers, and the military says it is searching for 11 troops missing in the area.
Amnesty International says hundreds of people may have been killed, including innocent bystanders to the violence. But the military has classed the entire Niger Delta region as a military zone, severely curtailing access for reporters and aid workers. A true death toll isn't known.
The militants say they are fighting to force the federal government to send more of the oil-industry funds it controls to the Niger Delta, which remains deeply impoverished despite five decades of oil production. But criminality and militancy are closely linked, with many leaders of the militant groups growing rich by stealing oil from pipelines and selling it overseas.
An upsurge in violence that began in early 2006 has seen hundreds of foreign workers kidnapped and dozens of attacks on crucial oil infrastructure. Hostages are normally released unharmed although several have died during botched snatch or rescue attempts, including two other Filipino hostages killed as violence flared this month.
Militant activities have trimmed Nigeria's daily oil output by about 25 percent off pre-2006 heights, with Africa's oil giant producing about 1.6 million barrels per day now. The government says no more production has been lost in the recent spate of violence. - AP
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it had destroyed crude-bearing pipes run by Chevron Corp. early Monday in Delta State, where the military has launched its largest operation in years against militants.
The group said the destruction was intended to stanch the flow of oil from five so-called flow stations, which route crude oil from wells into larger pipes heading toward refineries and export terminals.
In a statement, the militants also said they had released three Filipino hostages seized earlier this month.
Officials for the military and Chevron were not immediately available for comment.
The military launched its operation in Rivers State nearly two weeks ago, after rare clashes between armed forces and the militants in the Scotland-sized region of swamps, rivers and creeks. The militants say they have killed at least 12 soldiers, and the military says it is searching for 11 troops missing in the area.
Amnesty International says hundreds of people may have been killed, including innocent bystanders to the violence. But the military has classed the entire Niger Delta region as a military zone, severely curtailing access for reporters and aid workers. A true death toll isn't known.
The militants say they are fighting to force the federal government to send more of the oil-industry funds it controls to the Niger Delta, which remains deeply impoverished despite five decades of oil production. But criminality and militancy are closely linked, with many leaders of the militant groups growing rich by stealing oil from pipelines and selling it overseas.
An upsurge in violence that began in early 2006 has seen hundreds of foreign workers kidnapped and dozens of attacks on crucial oil infrastructure. Hostages are normally released unharmed although several have died during botched snatch or rescue attempts, including two other Filipino hostages killed as violence flared this month.
Militant activities have trimmed Nigeria's daily oil output by about 25 percent off pre-2006 heights, with Africa's oil giant producing about 1.6 million barrels per day now. The government says no more production has been lost in the recent spate of violence. - AP
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