Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) detonated two car bombs near the Nigerian government building in Warri in southern Nigeria.
MEND is the main armed rebel group in the region.
“Two car bombs were detonated,” MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in response to the attacks. “The third was called off after the operative in charge realized people were running in panic towards the car with the bombs.”
According to Linus Chima, a government spokesman, no government officials were injured in the explosions. It is not yet known if anyone else was injured.
“It was a plan to scuttle the peace talks,” he said.
Delta State Commissioner for Information Oma Djebah said that the bombs were planted in vehicles about 650 feet away from the building where three state governors and the minister for the Niger Delta were meeting. Their meeting was planned in order to strategize with militants who were given amnesty for agreeing to drop their arms.
“The people of the Niger Delta will not be intimidated or deterred by the act of a few opposed to a peaceful and non-violent approach to resolving the historic grievances of the region,” said Djebah. “We assure that we will not be deterred in our determination to fast-track our development for our people.”
He added, “We are not moved by the act of the faceless human persons, we will continue to be focused. The state governor has order [sic] all participant [sic] to move to a new venue and as I speak to Nigerians, the conference is ongoing.”
MEND, however, had warned the government of the attacks.
“In our usual effort to prevent the loss of innocent life, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta advises the immediate evacuation of the Government House annex Warri and its immediate surroundings up to the Delta state Broadcasting Corporation,” said a MEND statement. “Organizers and participants at this jamboree will ignore this warning at their peril.”
This is the first attack that MEND has claimed responsibility for since January, when it called off a cease-fire with the government citing lack of progress. MEND wants local control over the Delta’s petroleum resources.
“In the coming days, we will carry out a number of attacks against installations and oil companies across the Niger Delta and will spread out to companies such as Total [a major producer in the Nigerian hydrocarbons industry] which has been spared in the past,” Gbomo warns. “We hope the actions which will follow will persuade Mr. Uduaghan [Delta State Governor] that we exist outside of cyberspace.”
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Car Bombs Hit Nigeria Oil City – 15 March 2010
Business Week – Nigeria Oil City Hit By Explosion After Rebel Warning – 15 March 2010
CNN – Rebel Group Bombs Nigerian Government Building – 15 March 2010
Reuters – Q+A-The Implications of Bomb Attaacks in Nigeria’s Oil Delta -15 March 2010
Xinhua – Bombing Occurs in Nigeria Despite Amnesty Conference – 15 March 2010
