War and Conflict Journal

Nigerian Rebels Claim Attack on Oil Pipeline

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta blamed the resumption of the attacks on the suspended peace talks due to President Umaru Yar’Adua’s absence.

December 19, 2009

The rebel group responsible for most of the attacks in Nigeria’s oil producing region claims to have destroyed a major crude pipeline in “a warning” strike early Saturday, December 19, 2009.  The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) says 35 of its fighters, armed with assault rifles and heavy machine guns raided an oil facility jointly operated by Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron in Rivers state.

The group met with President Umaru Yar’Adua last month at the start of peace talks. But the process has been stalled by Mr. Yar’Adua’s absence from Nigeria in the past few weeks. The Nigerian leader is receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for a heart condition.

A statement by MEND said “a situation where the future of the Niger Delta is tied to the health and well-being of one man is unacceptable.” The group says it may review an indefinite cease-fire it declared after 30 days.

The Catholic bishop of the Niger Delta town of Bomadi, Hyacinth Egbegbo, is urging the militants to stay calm saying only a negotiated peace can bring lasting stability to the troubled oil-rich region.

“Let us go for peace, not for any more struggles,” said the bishop. “Armed struggle is not going to be in favor of any Nigerian. So let us sit down at the table and see that we resolve these problems amicably.  I appeal to the boys to take their guns away from the dialogue that is being initiated by the government. Because dialogue with guns is not dialogue. So let us put the guns aside and speak words of wisdom to each other so that we can come to a more amicable solution to the problem.”

The militant group, which says it is fighting for a fairer share of the region’s oil wealth, crippled daily oil production with series of attacks on oil facilities and personnel since early 2006.

But MEND has been severely weakened since dozens of its field commanders and thousands of gunmen accepted President Yar’Adua’s amnesty offer and disarmed.

The Niger Delta remains a stronghold for gangs and militant groups with strong opposition toward foreign oil companies and the government.

Security analysts say the oil industry remains vulnerable to opportunistic attacks, crude oil thefts and kidnappings. Nigeria plans to offer inhabitants of the Niger Delta an extra 10 percent in oil and gas revenues in a bid to end the rebellion.

Source: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/19dec09-nigeria-oil-79713812.html

From http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_southern_africa.htm

The region of Southern Africa has a bloody history of wars against colonial and racist rule, as well as prolonged civil wars after independence. Many of the conflicts from the 1960s through the 1980s were strongly influenced by the Cold War between the Western Powers and the Soviet Union and its allies, in particular, the communist nation of Cuba, which sent thousands of combat troops to take part in the Angolan Civil War.

The Second Boer War (1899-1902)–Britain vs. The Boer Republics (Orange Free State and Transvaal) in what is now South Africa.Mozambican Revolts (1895-1899) - Native uprisings against Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique.

Madagascar Rebellion (1947)-Against French rule. France crushed the revolt.

South African Civil War (1960-1994)–Black nationalist rebels fought against the white-ruled apartheid government of South Africa. The 1994 election ended white minority rule and began the period of majority rule.

Angolan War of Independence (1961-1975)- Fought against Portugal.

Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1975)- Fought against Portugal.

Namibian War of Independence (1966-1990)

Rhodesian Civil War (1967-1979)- Can also be considered the Zimbabwe War of Independence. Rebels of the black majority fought a guerilla war against the white minority government of Ian Smith. Smith had declared unilateral independence from Britain rather than end white rule. The war concluded with a peace agreement in which each adult received the right to vote regardless of race.

Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)- Following independence from Portugal, the two primary rebel groups, the Marxist MPLA and the “pro-Western” UNITA movements battled for control of Angola. Each side received significant outside assistance. The MPLA enjoyed massive aid from the Soviet Union as well as combat troops from Cuba. Early in the conflict, Zaire sent troops to aid UNITA, while the United States (mostly through the Central Intelligence Agency) sent weapons and mercenaries. South Africa also aided UNITA with large cross-border incursions. South Africa’s involvement came out of concern that a pro-Communist regime would aid SWAPO rebels fighting for Namibia’s independence from South Africa. The war finally ended after the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.

Mozambican Civil War (1975-1992) - Also known as the “Renamo War.” The Renamo rebel group attempted to overthrow the leftist government with aid from Rhodesia and South Africa. The fighting ended in 1992, with a formal peace treaty ending the war signed in 1994.

Caprivi Uprising [Namibia] (1999) - Rebels in the Caprivi region launched a guerrilla uprising against the Namibian government.

Chadian rebels clash with gov’t forces in capital; head toward presidential palace–Associated Press, February 2, 2008

Hundreds of rebels penetrated the capital of Chad today, clashing with government troops and moving on the presidential palace after a three-day advance through the oil-producing central African nation, officials and witnesses said.

Chad’s ambassador to Ethiopia said the capital had not fallen and that President Idriss Deby was "fine" in his palace.

"The situation is under control," ambassador Cherif Mahamat Zene told The Associated Press. "The head of state is fine in his palace … It’s true that there are some rebels who have entered the city, but to say the city has fallen is false."

A French military spokesman, Col. Thierry Burkhard, said that Chadian government forces were pushing rebels away from the presidential palace but that the outcome of the fighting today remained unclear. To read the rest of the story, click the link above.

The main rebel group in Chad, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), has declared war on France. France, along with Austria, Sweden, Ireland, and other European Union members, are putting together a 3,500 man peacekeeping force in response to the warfare in Chad and neighboring Sudan’s Darfur region. The rebels allege French involvement in the war on the side of the government.

The UFDD is a coalition of several small rebel armies who seek to overthrow the government of President Idriss Deby, who invaded Chad himself in 1990 to overthrow the then-President Hissene Habre. Chad’s proven method of regime-change is through the barrel of a gun, with multiple coups, rebellions, interventions, and invasions in its history as an independent nation.

Since France freed Chad from its bondage as a piece of its decaying colonial empire in 1960, French troops and air power have intervened several times in the nation’s unending series of civil wars and rebellions. The current rebels allege French aid to the government, it is most likely true, based on France’s past actions in Chad and other former colonies.

As to why France may be motivated to get involved in a war not its own, one only needs to look at the fact that in 2003, Chad became an exporter of oil.

Sources:

Chadians declare war on France–Telegraph.uk

France plays down Chad war claim–BBC