The Niger Delta Avengers: A New Threat to Oil Producers in Nigeria

Jessica Moody: The Niger Delta Avengers: A New Threat to Oil Producers in Nigeria

Since the start of 2016, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a hitherto unknown group, has claimed responsibility for increasingly frequent attacks on oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta. According to Nigerian Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the attacks have resulted in oil production dropping by 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a 20-year-low. The violence, and the resulting disruption to the oil sector, has raised fears of a return to the days of the Niger Delta insurgency, waged by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) between 2004 and 2009. Despite reported arrests, government efforts to crackdown on militancy and prevent attacks have proven ineffective. Without sustained negotiations, an extension to the 2009 amnesty, or mass development in the Niger Delta, the NDA’s insurgency is likely to expand and further attacks can be expected over the next 12 months.http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=45500&no_cache=1#.V2afzo6XQkg