SITUATION REPORT: NIGER DELTA MILITANTS ISSUE THREAT TO OIL COMPANIES
In Nigeria, the southern Niger Delta-based Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) issued a statement on 12 May threatening to attack oil sector interests in the region if operations are not shut down and staff evacuated within two weeks. The NDA has also reportedly threatened to attack Chevron Nigeria Limited if they attempt to repair an oil pipeline that was destroyed in early May.
Analysis
The NDA has been increasingly active in recent weeks, and has been implicated in several attacks on oil sector-related targets. These attacks, and the recent NDA warning, serve to underscore the elevated and ongoing insecurity in the Niger Delta region, where a number of militant and criminal organisations operate and are involved in agitation aimed at securing a greater portion of oil income, kidnapping for ransom and other acts of criminality. In light of the risk, the authorities may deploy additional military or police personnel to oil processing areas, foreign worker compounds and oil infrastructure sites.
