Nigeria: No Justice, No Peace

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May 9, 2006: Government discussions with Delta region tribal rebels have failed, with the rebels proclaiming that a ceasefire will not happen. The rebels are actually oil stealing gangs (which are composed of unemployed members of local tribes that have suffered much as the oil was pumped out of their neighborhoods.) But the gangsters now have political aspirations, noting that most of the politicians in power are crooks. While the gangs have some power, the government has more. The military and police have been bringing more people into the Delta region, and are ready to have it out with the gangs.

May 2, 2006: Troops and demonstrators (demanding jobs) clashed at an oil facility in the Delta, leaving two civilians dead.

May 1, 2006: Street gangs clashed in the suburbs of Lagos, leaving two dead and over 30 wounded. These gangs, drawing on a huge pool of unemployed youths, terrorize the populations in most urban areas. Politicians hire these gangs to support their election campaigns.

April 30, 2006: A group of Delta rebels tried to take over an offshore oil platform, but the sailors guarding it rebuffed the attackers, arresting six of them.