'Dozens dead' in Nigeria clashes
news.bbc.co.uk
Villagers fleeing violence in
Nigeria's oil-rich western Niger
Delta say dozens of people have
been killed in clashes between
soldiers and rival gangs of
ethnic militants.
Fighting between two local
communities, the Ijaw and Itsekiri,
has been raging for more than a
week, drawing in thousands of
soldiers.
The refugees described soldiers and militants burning down dozens of
villages and firing indiscriminately.
The violence prompted the US oil company, Chevron Texaco, to
suspend operations in the region on Thursday - slashing output levels in
Africa's biggest producer by 13%.
Some reports said the Anglo-Dutch company Shell had also confirmed it
would not be able to meet its contractual obligations on Friday.
Refugees from both communities,
retreating from the swampy region
south of the town of Warri, told of
scores of deaths.
Ruth Tinghala described soldiers
firing "horizontally" and torching
homes and shops.
"I saw many [people] fall," she told
news agency AP.
"I didn't stay to see if they were dead or alive."
Ijaw leaders and refugees say 50 fighters were killed in battles with
navy and army forces in the village of Okorenkoro on Thursday alone.
They say a state of siege has been imposed on the Ijaw community,
with navy gunboats and troops imposing a 24-hour blockade on the
creeks around their villages, according to the AFP news agency.
Military officials have previously denied attacking civilians, and stressed
they used minimum force when possible.
Ten government troops are said to have been killed.
Ijaw demands
On Thursday, Chevron Texaco evacuated hundreds of villagers by air
from areas affected by the violence.
On Wednesday, President Olusegun Obasanjo issued a strong warning
that the current high level of violence in the country was posing a threat
to the success of next month's elections.
The Ijaw are demanding more political representation and compensation
from oil companies operating in the area. They say the oil industry has
polluted their fishing communities.
A militant Ijaw leader has said that protests against the Itsekiri and the
oil companies will continue until the government addresses the issue.
Our correspondent Dan Isaacs says that this is extremely unlikely
ahead of the elections and he says it is difficult to see how an effective
poll can take place in this part of the southern Delta under the present
circumstances.
He adds that even if the unrest subsides, many hundreds, perhaps
thousands of people have been displaced and election officials will be
extremely wary about operating in such an unstable region. |
