Hundreds of civilians in the oil-rich Niger Delta are dead following an offensive by the Nigerian military. Though the military denies responsibility for any civilian casualties, human rights group Amnesty International says it has received eyewitness accounts of military helicopters attacking a festival.
But such reports are difficult to confirm. The Delta region has been cordoned off by the Joint Task Force (JTF), the arm of the Nigerian military fighting militant groups in the Delta and reliable information is hard to come by. But Aster van Kregten, a researcher in Nigeria for Amnesty International, says the reports that are emerging paint a grim picture:
"The current situation is extremely disturbing. We have received reports about the JTF attacking several communities in Delta states. The details are not yet known to us because it is extremely hard to get information out from there...The JTF is not allowing anyone into those communities and for the people who are living in that area...it is extremely hard to get out."
Nigeria's war
The JTF has been fighting militant groups responsible for attacks against the multinational oil corporations active in the region. This most recent military offensive is one of the largest since the JTF moved into the Delta and, says Ms Kregten, the renewed violence came as a surprise.
"[The government] was talking about amnesty for the members of armed groups. Then all of a sudden this military offensive started. It's a totally different signal, especially because there was a technical group in the Niger Delta set up by the government which recommended alternative solutions, including an amnesty for the armed groups."
But militant groups failed to respond to government attempts to make peace. One of the most active groups, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), openly declared an "all-out-war" last week, demanding that oil companies leave the Delta. MEND subsequently hi-jacked two oil vessels and bombed two pipelines.
Caught in the middle
The people living in the Delta region are the biggest losers in the conflict between the JTF and the militants. Five MEND fighters were killed in the military offensive, compared to the hundreds of innocent civilians allegedly killed in the reports received by Amnesty. The human rights organization estimates some 20,000 civilians are still caught in the crossfire, unable to escape the conflict zone because of fighting along transport routes. Amnesty is urging the Nigerian government to investigate the allegations against the JTF.
Tags: Aster van Kregten, Joint Task Force, Niger Delta, Nigeria, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta