Nigeria: Violence Creates 'Human Security' Crisis in Delta

Violence and criminality undermine Niger Delta residents’ access to food, health and economic safety, according to the International Crisis Group.

“The violence takes a severe toll on human security,” said Nnamdi Obasi, senior analyst with ICG’s West Africa bureau. “In some areas human development indicators have worsened since 2007.”
2008 was the Delta’s most dangerous year on record with 1,000 people dying and 300 hostages taken in first nine months, according to a December 2008 government report on the Niger Delta. Criminal gangs stepped up their attacks on the oil industry by one-third in 2008, the report said.

Though the region sits on a dense network of freshwater distributaries, no inhabitants are guaranteed regular access to drinking water, aid groups say. And while the Delta produces one-fifth of the USA’s energy needs, parts of the region, such as most of Bayelsa state, are not linked to the national electricity grid.

AllAfrica