Nigerian militants threaten to halve oil output

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigerian militants threatened on Sunday to halve the country’s oil output by cutting another 1 million barrels a day this month in their campaign to gain more autonomy for the southern delta region.

The militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta are holding two U.S. hostages and one Briton. Their attacks last month reduced output from the world’s eighth largest exporter by 455,000 barrels a day, or one fifth.

This lowered output to 2 million barrels a day before the latest threat by the militants, who want more local control of the delta’s oil resources.

“God willing we hope to reduce Nigeria’s export by a further one million barrels for the month of March,” the militants said in an email.

Reuters