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The Movement for the Emancipation1 of the Niger Delta2 blamed the resumption of the attacks on the suspended peace talks due to President Umaru Yar'Adua's absence.
Gilbert Da Costa | Abuja 19 December 2009
The rebel group responsible for most of the attacks in Nigeria's oil producing region says it destroyed a major crude pipeline3 in "a warning" strike early Saturday. 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 jointly4 operated by Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron5 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-being6 of one man is unacceptable." The group says it may review an indefinite cease-fire it declared after 30 days.
The Catholic bishop7 of the Niger Delta town of Bomadi, Hyacinth Egbegbo, is urging the militants9 to stay calm saying only a negotiated peace can bring lasting10 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 amicably11. I appeal to the boys to take their guns away from the dialogue that is being initiated12 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 amicable13 solution to the problem."
The militant8 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 severely14 weakened since dozens of its field commanders and thousands of gunmen accepted President Yar'Adua's amnesty offer and disarmed15.
The Niger Delta remains16 a stronghold for gangs and militant groups with strong opposition17 toward foreign oil companies and the government.
Security analysts18 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.
1 emancipation | |
n.(从束缚、支配下)解放 | |
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2 delta | |
n.(流的)角洲 | |
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3 pipeline | |
n.管道,管线 | |
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4 jointly | |
ad.联合地,共同地 | |
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5 chevron | |
n.V形臂章;V形图案 | |
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6 well-being | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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7 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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8 militant | |
adj.激进的,好斗的;n.激进分子,斗士 | |
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9 militants | |
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
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10 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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11 amicably | |
adv.友善地 | |
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12 initiated | |
n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始,创始,启蒙,介绍加入 | |
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13 amicable | |
adj.和平的,友好的;友善的 | |
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14 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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15 disarmed | |
v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 );使息怒 | |
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16 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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17 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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18 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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