ABUJA, Nigeria, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Local militants in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria attacked a gas pipeline operated by Royal Dutch Shell as critics blast a recent cease-fire agreement.
Col. Rabe Abubakar, a spokesman for the Nigerian Joint Task Force, said the attack was carried out by local militants in the region, The Wall Street Journal reports.
He blamed "aggrieved" locals for the attack, not organized militias who reached a cease-fire agreement earlier in the year.
Militants with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta launched a series of attacks on oil facilities operated by Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell during the summer, declaring war on the national energy sector in an effort to gain access to oil revenue.
MEND declared a cease-fire July 15 following a government amnesty effort.
Critics complain the cease-fire will do little to allay concerns about the disparity in oil wealth, however.
Abubakar said Royal Dutch Shell shut the pipeline down to control the damage during the weekend.
The attacks come as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Abuja to a modest welcome from Nigerian officials. Clinton is expected to push the Nigerian government to address corruption and democratic issues, but may walk a delicate line in talks with the oil-rich African nation.
