MEND: The Niger Delta’s Umbrella Militant Group by Stephanie Hanson
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, launched itself onto the international stage in January 2006 by claiming responsibility for the capture of four foreign oil workers. Since then, the group’s attacks on oil pipelines and kidnappings have reduced oil output in the Niger Delta by roughly one-third. Oil companies, the Nigerian government, and the United States (Nigeria is the United States’ fifth largest supplier of U.S. crude imports) are concerned about MEND’s ability to disrupt the global oil supply
picture courtesy of izismile