Niger Delta residents react to MEND

ABUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Residents in the Niger Delta called on government officials to step up efforts to resolve oil disputes as militants ramp up their attacks on oil facilities.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main militant group in the region, claimed responsibility for strikes on crude pipelines recently, breaking a cease-fire imposed in October.

Citizens from the Niger Delta called on the government to respond to the "atrocious activities," urging regional leaders to "come together and salvage what remains of a disorganized and lawless Niger Delta," Nigeria's news agency Next reports.

Jombo Gbomo, a MEND spokesman, said during the weekend that militants carried out a "warning strike" against crude oil pipelines.

MEND said it broke its cease-fire because the government was slow to react to its demands for allocation of the country's oil revenue and other concessions.

Nigerian security officials said they could not confirm MEND was behind the latest attacks, however.

MEND launched a series of attacks on oil facilities operated by Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell during the summer, declaring an "oil war" on the national energy sector in an effort to gain access to oil revenue.