Nigeria has one of the well established insurgent groups that was established way back in 2004. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta asserts that its main role is to oversee fair treatment of the people of Nigeria (Goodman and González par. 2). In order to attain its broad goal, this insurgent group makes that all acts that are inhuman are made known to the rest of the world.
Since there has been exploitation of natural resources (mainly oil) by the government and private companies, the movement seeks to make sure that this worthy resource is used well and its benefits trickle down to residents of Niger Delta. Although it initially began as a peaceful pressure group agitating for the well being of the people living in Niger Delta, it has turned out to be an aggressive group that is very keen on sharing oil resources mined within the Niger Delta region. There has been growing tension between the Federal government of Nigeria and this group.
Following the popularity of the group, it has so far developed into an umbrella body that runs several insurgent groups fighting the government. Worse still, these groups have turned out to be violent since they are well armed and ready to unleash terror whenever the federal government does not give them the required attention. It is against this backdrop that the Niger Delta region has been experiencing a lot of conflict in the recent past.
The group is no longer a peaceful pressure group as it was initially intended to be. There are myriads of attacks that have been so far launched on petroleum operations in the Niger Delta region thereby hindering smooth operations (Hanson par.1). this expounds why this movement is considered to be an insurgent group fighting for the availability of a natural resource.
Some of the terror-like operations that this group has been engaging in include kidnapping of innocent civilians, intense warfare in form of guerilla tactics, massive spoiling of property, robbery with violence as well as sabotage of petroleum operations and other vital services. Although the insurgent was originally meant to confine its operations of within the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, it has now expanded its mandate since it is keen on controlling Nigeria’s oil by localizing it. In addition, the group is also demanding reduced pollution of the environment that is resulting from mining of oil resources.
The federal government of Nigeria has intensified its fight against this group since it has grown to become one of the most versatile and hostile movements in the country. Perhaps, the tactics being used by this group are sophisticated and advanced making it difficult for the government forces to crash the group completely. For example, the trained guerillas have been provided with speed boats that they use to launch attacks through swarm-based maneuvers. There are several of such highly flexible guerilla groups who are prepared to attack any time (Howden par. 2).
As a result, the defensive systems of the Shell and the federal government have been significantly destabilized in this region making it difficult for the group to be defeated. Secondly, combat training and firepower have been significantly improved among the group. This explains why the private military guards and the government military wings have been outwitted severally in the Niger Delta region. In addition, the insurgent group has employed system disruption in the most effective manner. Worse still, hostages captured from the Shell group are being used to terrorize the countering forces. The multinational corporations as well as the government have been compelled to comply with various demands due to hostages held by the group.
Works Cited
Goodman, Amy and Juan, González. As Hundreds Die in an Oil Pipeline Explosion in Lagos, A Look At the Fight Over Nigeria’s Natural Resources. 2006. Web.
Hanson, Stephanie. MEND: The Niger Delta’s Umbrella Militant Group. 2007. Web.
Howden, Daniel. Nigeria: Shell may pull out of Niger Delta after 17 die in boat raid. 2005. Web.