Nigeria: February 5, 2004

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Fighting between tribe based criminal gangs continues in the Delta area. Shooting has been heard for most of the last week. Most of the gun battles are taking place in villages, and the dead bodies disposed of before journalists or police arrive. This violence was apparently sparked by a dispute over who would represent some Ijaw tribe villages who were claiming compensation from oil companies for an oil spill. Who to pay compensation too is a tricky business, as the local civilians are sometimes cowed by local criminal gangs into letting the crooks take the money. 

Other groups have threatened sabotage of oil facilities if the government does not remove government officials in the oil region who are thought to be corrupt.