PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian militants on Monday attacked a Shell-operated oil facility, forcing the evacuation of nearly 100 staff, in a third day of fighting with security forces in the Niger Delta.
Security sources said the three days of clashes were the heaviest between the two sides since the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) launched a campaign of violence in early 2006 saying they wanted more local control of the impoverished region's oil wealth.
MEND declared an "oil war" on Sunday and warned all oil workers to leave the delta immediately, threatening to disrupt production further in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.
"MEND reiterates its previous warnings to all oil workers in the entire Niger Delta region to evacuate from oil facilities and halt production with immediate effect or they will have themselves to blame," the group said in an e-mailed statement.
Two security sources in the oil industry, who did not want to be named, said more than 100 people may have been killed by the fighting, which has spread to at least seven villages in Rivers state.
The clashes have not yet affected oil production since some of the targeted facilities seem to have already been shut down by previous assaults. A fifth of the OPEC member's oil output has been shut down for the last two years due to the violence.
Oil traders shrugged off the news as prices traded at a seven-month low near $94 a barrel on Monday.
Security sources said the three days of clashes were the heaviest between the two sides since the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) launched a campaign of violence in early 2006 saying they wanted more local control of the impoverished region's oil wealth.
MEND declared an "oil war" on Sunday and warned all oil workers to leave the delta immediately, threatening to disrupt production further in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.
"MEND reiterates its previous warnings to all oil workers in the entire Niger Delta region to evacuate from oil facilities and halt production with immediate effect or they will have themselves to blame," the group said in an e-mailed statement.
Two security sources in the oil industry, who did not want to be named, said more than 100 people may have been killed by the fighting, which has spread to at least seven villages in Rivers state.
The clashes have not yet affected oil production since some of the targeted facilities seem to have already been shut down by previous assaults. A fifth of the OPEC member's oil output has been shut down for the last two years due to the violence.
Oil traders shrugged off the news as prices traded at a seven-month low near $94 a barrel on Monday.
