Nigerian soldiers, militants clash in oil-rich region

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) — Fighting erupted Wednesday between Nigerian soldiers and armed militants in the country’s oil-rich southern Niger Delta, both sides said.

Militants belonging to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta ambushed a military unit escorting Chevron workers at an oil terminal, injuring two soldiers, said military spokesman Col. Rabe Abubakar.

The militant group, however, issued a statement saying the Nigerian armed forces launched an unprovoked attack on its camps. It issued a warning to oil companies in the region to evacuate their staff to avoid escalating violence.

The movement said it had sunk two Army gunboats and inflicted several army casualties.

Abubakar, however, said, “There is no truth to what the militants are saying.”

CNN