Nigeria: Explosion heard during amnesty talks in restive, oil-rich Niger Delta region
By APMonday, March 15, 2010
Nigeria: Explosion heard during amnesty talks
LAGOS, Nigeria — An explosion has been heard at amnesty talks under way in Nigeria’s restive and oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Someone said “stay calm” before a live television feed cut out.
The explosion came Monday after the main militant group in the region claimed it had set bombs that would be remotely detonated in the area.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta also vowed to carry out “a number of attacks” against installations and oil companies in the coming days.
Militants in the Niger Delta have attacked pipelines, kidnapped petroleum company employees and fought government troops since January 2006.
They want more oil money to flow into the region, which is still poor and polluted after 50 years of oil exploration.
