U.S. Senator Russ Feingold issues statement on Niger Delta crisis and current attacks by Nigerian Military

May 22, 2009, Seattle – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today issued a statement on the nine-day, continuing Nigerian military offensive in the Niger Delta. Feingold expressed concern about civilian casualties and refugees, and called on the Nigerian government to address underlying causes of the crisis in the region. He also urged the Obama administration to enjoin a multilateral effort to help end the crisis. Feingold is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

The attacks by the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Nigerian military began May 13th. Unconfirmed reports put civilian casualty figures as high as 2,000 and the number of refugees as high as 20,000. It’s reported that at least five villages have been razed by the JTF. At last report, the region was blockaded by the Nigerian military and aid workers were unable to get food, water and medical assistance to the injured and displaced, many of whom have fled into the bush. Journalists and human rights groups have also been barred.

“We applaud Senator Feingold’s statement. It’s critical that high profile people speak out in this moment calling for an end to the violence and highlighting the tragic toll on civilians,” says Sandy Cioffi, filmmaker and director of Sweet Crude, a documentary about the Niger Delta currently screening at film festivals. “I am heartened by his understanding of what it will take to achieve peace in the region and encourage the U.S. government to get involved as he urges. I believe that can be very influential. The region is on the brink – we must pay attention before it devolves into full-scale war.”

“The military attacks in the Niger Delta are a tragedy for local villagers that is becoming a humanitarian crisis,” says Laura Livoti, founder of Justice in Nigeria Now (JINN). “I hope more U.S. officials will take the lead from Senator Feingold and work toward a negotiated peace settlement between all parties in Nigeria that promotes justice in the region. The United States is heavily dependent on Nigerian oil for its own energy needs, and a resolution to this crisis is in the long-term interest of the United States as well.”
Click Here for more information or go to  Sweet Crude
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Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

On the Nigerian military’s ongoing offensive in the Niger Delta

“I am very concerned by reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed and potentially thousands displaced by the Nigerian military’s ongoing offensive in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta region.  Some military actions may be justified to stop the criminality, kidnappings and killings by militants in the Niger Delta, but such measures should be accompanied by a larger political strategy.  Genuine peacemaking will require not only legitimate political negotiations but a convincing case for transforming the illicit war economy into one of peace.  The Nigerian government needs to undertake a serious and sustained initiative to address the underdevelopment of the region.  I urge the Obama administration to think creatively about how we can work multilaterally to help end this long-standing crisis in the Niger Delta.”

Starting on May 13  several villages in the Niger Delta have been attacked by the Nigerian military under the guise of searching for militants.  Hundreds are feared dead and villages are being destroyed every day. On May 20 we learned that several villages have been razed: Opuye, Okerenkoro, Kurutie and Oporoza, where the film Sweet Crude was filmed, was razed by the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Military. Through unspeakable heartbreak, the Sweet Crude crew and all who care about justice are continuing an all-out effort to get the U.S. government and international community to pay attention.

If you want to help, please send the below message or wording of your choosing to:

John Kerry, chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Or call the Committee Majority office at 202.224.4651

Or Senator Kerry at 202.224.2742.

If you know people of influence, please tell them what’s going on. They can contact  leslye@sweetcrudemovie.com  or sarah@JusticeInNigeriaNow.org.

You can also find resources at  sweetcrudemovie.com and on the JINN site

PLEASE consider helping — these people have no one who would be listened to standing up for them. Thousands are huddled in the bush, injured and scared, many now with no homes to go back to.

SAMPLE TEXT TO JOHN KERRY:
I am shocked and saddened to learn of the attacks on civilians in the Niger Delta by the Nigerian military. It is reported that as many as 2,000 people were killed and as many as 30,000 are now displaced refugees.

I urge you and your fellow U.S. lawmakers to speak out immediately to stop the current bombardment and hold the Nigerian government accountable for its authorization. I ask that you call for:

• An immediate cease fire
• Safe access into the area for humanitarian organizations and journalists – to assure the safety of the refugees, medical treatment for the injured, and an accurate assessment of the conditions and casualties
• An investigation into the attacks
• Action to pave the way for legitimate, third-party-monitored talks

Late last week renewed violence broke out in the Niger Delta between the Nigerian Military – known as the Joint Task Force (JTF) and militant forces, some a part of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) as a result, innocent civilians have been killed and internally displaced.

Read the latest from the Nigerian newspaper the Vanguard: War in the creeks: Stop this carnage, say N-Delta leaders

Read the latest from Voice of America: Nigerian Civilians are Trapped As Army Takes on Rebels

Displaced women and children taking refuge at the relief camp at Ogbeh-Ijoh

JOINT STATEMENT ON DELTA CLASHES

SUNDAY, MAY 17 2009

Human rights and development organisations active in the Niger Delta have called for restraint on the part of the Nigerian military to prevent killing of civilians in communities close to clashes between the military and militants. The groups have also asked the military and militants to allow access for humanitarian groups to visit the communities.

“We have had tragic experiences in the very recent past when military actions of this nature have resulted in the destruction of whole communities and killing of many innocent people, as was the case with Odi and Odioma. The Nigerian political leadership should ensure that its armed forces understand the need to protect innocent citizens in the communities of the Niger Delta,” said Asume Osuoka of Social Action.

“The use of helicopter gunships against targets in  Okenkerenko, and by most accounts other villages, appears to be undisputable and has caused a mass evacuation of villagers in a creek environment where there are no safe options for refugees”, he said

There is no doubt that there are casualties from the current clashes who need urgent medical attention and there are thousands more who have fled their villages without adequate food or water.

We are calling on both the military and militants to allow free access for our local organisations and international groups such as the Red Cross, and Medicins Sans Frontiers without delay. This will ensure that aid is delivered where needed and end speculation over the level of casualties from the clashes over the past few days.

The military is claiming that it has acted responsibly and that civilians were not targeted in their operations. The best way for them to show the truth of this claim is to allow immediate access to Okekerenko, Oporoza and surrounding communities. We equally call on MEND to respect and support the need for villages to receive urgent assistance.

“There is need for immediate steps to reassure villagers that they can safely return to their communities before there are more deaths amongst the frail and young, who are the first casualties in such harsh conditions,” said Damka Pueba of Sustainable Peace Initiative

Signed

Asume Osuoka, Social Action (Chair, Gulf of Guinea Citizens Network) PH 0803 3099494

Patrick Naagbanton, Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development, Eleme, Rivers State

Damka Pueba, Sustainable Peace Initiative, PH

Filmmaker Sandy Cioffi, who just released her film Sweet Crude about the conflict in the Niger Delta comments on the violence that broke out late last week and continued through the weekend:

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Oporoza, the village where much of Sweet Crude was filmed, is under attack by the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military. To learn more, please continue reading below.

As heavy as our hearts are, we find hope in the possibility that parties in a position of influence – the media, U.S. government officials, international diplomats – will finally understand the gravity of the Niger Delta crisis and take action quickly to help end the violence. (Please read the report filed on April 30th by the International Crisis Group: http://tiny.cc/ICGReport)

We ask that if you know such people, please tell them what’s happening and how critical it is to speak out and hold the Nigerian government accountable – right now. Please also forward this widely so that as many people as possible understand what’s going on – so that Oporoza is not just a faceless village in Africa, but the place where real people, many of them our friends, may be dying. And finally, please hold these men, women and kids in your thoughts and prayers.

With thanks from Sweet Crude movie

Sweet Crude will have its San Francisco Premiere on Thursday May 28 at the Victoria Theater.

www.sweetcrudemovie.com

More information
There are conflicting reports, but we do know from a friend who called from the bush, where village residents have fled, that the military has opened fire and there are casualties.

We received this text message from one of the film’s main characters:

“The situation is getting worse every minute. Their plan is to wipe Oporoza out of the surface of Earth tomorrow morning. Pls let the international community intervene before we witness a genocide.”

We have also heard that a specific target is the home of Tompolo, one of the top leaders of MEND. This is a very dangerous development.

It is uncertain whether President Yar’Adua ordered or acceded to this attack – perhaps to test the waters for a larger engagement – or whether the JTF is operating outside the Federal government. Both scenarios are of critical concern in their implications about the Nigerian government, the likelihood of escalation and the collapse of any peace initiatives. Particularly alarming is the decision to target Tompolo, a MEND leader who is said to have been active recently in talks with the Federal government and who is seen as a political leader of the movement. The Nigerian Vice President, who is from the Niger Delta, is out of the country.

We hope the U.S. government will address the situation immediately, ask directly for an explanation of the attack and the chain of command that authorized it, and call for a cease fire.

The situation has been reported by several international media outlets. Here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal: http://tiny.cc/WSJ

And if you haven’t seen it, there is a 15-minute video on our web site (sweetcrudemovie.com/videoGallery) that captures the beauty and tragedy of the Niger Delta. As the opening shot depicts the serene Oporoza jetty, imagine it today, surrounded by gunboats, soldiers, helicopters and a terrifying rain of bullets. This is the human cost of the dire Niger Delta situation. Please join us in calling for an end to the crisis.

For three years we have been asking “What if the world paid attention before it was too late?”. Tonight we are flattened to know that for some people in the Delta it is already too late. But now more than ever, our attention might avert a new unspeakable level of violence.

Read more about the militarization of the Niger Delta

There is much controversy around the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in Nigeria.  Watch and listen  to the perspective of filmmaker Sandy Cioffi from her interview on Democracy Now in May of this year. Sandy is another filmmaker who was detained by the Nigerian police earlier this year.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuAy8CtOVVg]