Lagos: Nigerian militants attacked
an oil pipeline early Saturday morning, breaking a tenuous
cease-fire with the government over the long absence of its
ill president.
Militants armed with assault rifles, machine guns and
rocket launchers attacked a major crude oil pipeline operated
by Shell and Chevron in Nigeria`s Rivers State, the Movement
for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement.
Group spokesman Jomo Gbomo said the group would consider
the unconditional cease-fire agreement it made with the
government on Oct 25 void for the next 30 days.
The attack comes after President Umaru Yar`Adua held
formal peace talks with the group and many militants put down
their arms as part of a government amnesty.
While the militants have broken cease-fires in the past,
the attack highlights the Nigerian government`s struggles with
Yar`Adua`s weeks-long absence as he tries to overcome a
reportedly serious heart condition.
Gbomo said the attack occurred in part because of
government officials slowing peace talks because of Yar`Adua`s
absence.
"A situation where the future of the Niger Delta is tied
to the health and well-being of one man is unacceptable," the
statement read.
PTI
