Nigeria Rounds Up Rebels
Security forces in Nigeria have arrested nearly 450 suspected militants involved with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) in the oil rich Niger Delta, though a number of prominent members of MEND avoided capture. The militants had agreed to a cease fire on September 21 but before that had engaged in a spate of attacks. Some of those detained have been released after questioning, but many remain in custody.
Nigeria will never see stability in its oil industry until it can reconcile the political opposition with the goals of the country’s oil producers. But stability will never come until the country’s leaders (and this holds for other oil producing states) establishes a way to maximize the benefits of this vital resource for the masses of Nigerians.