Militants Warn China Over Oil in Niger Delta – Craig Timberg

From the Washington Post (link):

Militants in Nigeria‘s volatile oil-producing region detonated a car bomb late Saturday and issued a warning that investors and officials from China would be “treated as thieves” and targeted in future attacks.

The threat came as Chinese President Hu Jintao returned home from a week-long tour of Africa in which he reached a series of deals securing access to oil and other resources to meet the needs of China’s booming economy. On Wednesday, Hu and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo signed several major business deals, including one that offers China four oil exploration licenses, the Associated Press reported.

A spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in an e-mail sent to news organizations that the car-bomb attack was “the final warning” before the militants turned their attention to oil workers, storage facilities, bridges, offices and other “soft oil industry targets.”

Also see “Nigeria: Issues in Nigeria-China Relations” from Nigeria’s Daily Champion (link), and “Stay away from delta, Nigerian rebels tell China” from the Financial Times (link):

Nigerian militants have warned Chinese companies to “stay well clear” of the oil producing Niger delta or risk facing attack, while simultaneously claiming responsibility for a car bomb attack.

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