The Nigerian militant group Niger Delta Avengers on Friday said that they
had ended their ceasefire in the region.
We can assure you that every oil installation in our region will feel the
warmth of the wrath of the Niger Delta Avengers,” the group said.
“Niger Delta Avenger’s ceasefire on Operation Red Economy is officially
over,” stated the heading of a post on the group’s website.
The avengers attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta in 2016 cut
Nigeria’s oil production from a peak of 2.2 million barrels per day to
near 1 million barrels per day, the lowest level seen in Africa’s top oil
producer in at least 30 years.
The Niger Delta Avengers were responsible for most of last year’s attacks,
announced an end to hostilities in August 2016. There have been no
substantial attacks by any groups in the region since January.
The NDA has stated unambiguously what it is setting out to achieve: “Our
goal is to cripple Nigeria’s economy.”
After declaring what it called “Operation Red Economy” in February 2016,
it blew up an underwater pipeline forcing Royal Dutch Shell to shut down a
terminal which normally produces 250,000 barrels of oil a day (bpd).
In January 2016, Shell declared a force majeure, which excuses a company
from contractual agreements because events beyond its control, on exports
of high grade crude oil after an attack on one of its trunk lines.
A few days later, US firm Chevron shut its Valve Platform following
another attack, also claimed by the Avengers.
“This action is to further warn all [international oil companies] that
when we warn that there should be no repairs pending negotiation/dialogue
with the people of the Niger Delta, it means there should be no repairs,”
the Avengers said in a statement after an attack on a pipeline that feeds
the Escravos offshore terminal operated by Chevron’s Nigerian subsidiary
last year.