Ogoni clashes leave 15 dead, 100 displaced

At least 15 people have been killed and hundreds displaced in clashes between two communities of the minority Ogoni ethnic group in Nigeria's southern oil region, residents said on Tuesday. Catholic Church officials said about 100 people who fled the clashes are currently taking refuge at the main parish church in the nearby city of Port Harcourt, where they have been provided some relief assistance. The clashes over ownership of parts of Bori, the main town of the 500,000 strong Ogoni in the Niger Delta, had the Yege and Lakpor communities engaged in reprisal attacks during most of last week. Several houses were also destroyed. "Initially three people were killed," Bari Ollo, a resident of Bori told IRIN. "But in subsequent reprisal attacks no less than 12 more people have lost their lives." Armed policemen have since been deployed into the area to stop the violence. Newspaper reports said on Tuesday a meeting of traditional rulers, community leaders and youth groups had been convened to mediate an end to the latest crisis in the area. The Ogoni drew international attention with the emergence of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) in the early 1990s. Led by writer and minority rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, MOSOP campaigned against the environmental degradation of their land caused by the oil activities of Royal/Dutch Shell. The group also spearheaded demands for more access to the oil wealth produced on their land from the Nigerian government. Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were hanged in 1995 on the orders of late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, over allegations of murder. This followed their trial for the killing of four Ogoni leaders widely condemned as flawed. With the end of military rule and the emergence of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, Nigeria's federal government has taken steps to end the legacy of impunity left in Ogoni by the military. But with elections due later this year and early in 2003, fears have been expressed that political manipulation may lead to more violence in Ogoni and other parts of Nigeria. MOSOP had warned earlier this year the activities of some politicians were creating the atmosphere for violence in Ogoniland. A MOSOP official told IRIN the latest events were linked to jostling by politicians ahead of the coming elections. "It's a case of some people manipulating longstanding differences between two communities for political ends," he said.