Nigeria militants threaten broader "oil war" in delta

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria-Nigerian militants threatened on Wednesday to broaden their "oil war" to offshore oilfields and announced attacks on a crude oil pipeline in the Niger Delta and another Shell-operated facility.The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), responsible for attacks that have cut a fifth of OPEC member Nigeria's oil output, said it would launch attacks outside Rivers state for the first time since clashes began on Saturday.Oil traders on Wednesday began taking notice of the rise in violence and that helped push prices above $94 a barrel in early trading. The market has fallen sharply this week on the impact of the credit crisis on the global economy.The heaviest fighting between militants and security forces in more than two years has spread to about 10 villages, but have remained in Rivers state, home to oil city Port Harcourt. Some private security sources estimate dozens have died."After Rivers, the hurricane will be heading to the neighboring states in the Niger Delta," MEND said in an e-mailed statement.Experts believe the clashes could continue for weeks as the military seeks to capture or kill top militant leaders and regain control of the region's oil resources."The fight is over control of oil resources and the right to tap those resources," said Antony Goldman, an analyst at London-based risk consultancy PM consulting.
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