Niger Delta: A fight for oil and human rights

For general background on the conflicts in Nigeria, click here.

The Niger Delta, about the size of Scotland, has been known to produce a vast majority of oil within Nigeria, one of the world's top crude oil exporters. As millions of impoverished people have been politically and economically marginalized by continuously corrupt political regimes, guerrilla movements have slowly been materializing in the late twentieth century to lash out against the government. In recent years, militants have become more organized under a loose coalition called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), who strive to gain control of the resources in the region and regularly launch attacks against oil pipelines. For more on the history of the Delta region, check out this briefing [PDF] by the International Crisis Group. One interesting aspect the report highlights is how the Delta was an epicenter for the slave trade in the sixteenth century -- about a quarter of American slaves are said to have come from Nigeria. Some of these past grievances continue to exist today as Chevron's largest production facility has ironically been built at the point on Escravos River where slaves were massively shipped to the Americas.

Another Crisis Group briefing outlines how Nigerian communities see no reason to protect the oil pipelines from militant activities. The government has continued to horde the profits from oil and failed to alleviate the widespread poverty of ordinary civilians. Furthermore, many claim that, over the years, oil companies have spilled enough oil to significantly affect the environment of the region.

Although President Yar'Adua has done more to negotiate and meet some of the demands of MEND, the core points of tension that have to do with local control of oil and other resources remain unresolved. After failed peace talks between the government and militants, new waves of violence have sprung up to affect not only Nigerians and oil companies, but also the global marketplace.

Once again, MEND has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shell pipeline today. MEND claims it has now blown up four major pipelines in the last week. According to analysts, the already skyrocketing oil prices have once again crept up as a result. MEND leaders are continuing to fight for the government to allocate more oil revenue towards the impoverished communities in the Delta, protesting negligent marginalization. As gang violence and industrial labor strikes are also continuing to increase in the region, the Nigerian government has come under a lot of pressure to put an end to these insurgencies.

This case brings to light the impact that armed insurgencies can have in the conflict-ridden regions of today's world, particularly given the current global food crisis and the skyrocketing prices of natural resources. With proper mobilization in situations, it would not be shocking for rebels to gain significant leverage by targeting pipelines and resource reserves, regardless of the atrocities and the human rights violations committed. If these trends continue, companies that rely on production facilities in these kinds of regions may need to seriously rethink the implications of their operations and strive to understand the impact that human rights violations in these armed conflicts are having on the global economy.