JINN report entitled Operation Restore Hope Killed the Hope and Livelihood of Tens of Thousands updates the story in the aftermath of the 2009 bombings by the Nigerian military which displaced an estimated 20,000 mostly poor villagers living in 163 communities, villages and hamlets. Project Censored recognized JINN’s work in getting this story out.

Watch this shocking cell phone video – The village of Okerenkoko was destroyed in 2009 by what appears to be a military bombing. The footage was shot by Timmy Guwor.

Justice in Nigeria Now is excited to announce a new partnership with Sweet Crude, an acclaimed documentary that captures the realities of the Niger Delta. Directing attention to a region devastated by oil, Sweet Crude movingly portrays the strength, beauty, and resilience of communities in the Niger Delta while unpacking myths about the region, particularly by exposing actual distortions in reporting by international media. JINN joins Sweet Crude as the official activist partner of the film team, enabling engaged viewers to take action in theaters and beyond.

At the screenings, viewers will find JINN ready to provide them with ways to call for much-needed constructive action and attention to the Niger Delta. Examples include urging Secretary of State Clinton to support international mediation and peace talks in the Niger Delta, and asking  senators to support legislation requiring transparency in oil companies’ payments to foreign governments.

JINN and Sweet Crude’s common goals of respect for human rights and environmental justice, along with our common objectives of peace talks and corporate accountability in the Niger Delta, make us—alongside our friends on the ground in Nigeria—natural partners in working toward a peaceful resolution to decades of injustice in the Niger Delta.

Check back here to find out when and where you can Sweet Crude in the coming months.

[Photo Credit: Kendra E. Thornbury for Sweet Crude]

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

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