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US oil giant ChevronTexaco said on Wednesday it had yet to start negotiations with protesters in southern Nigeria who seized one of its offshore oil platforms a week ago.
Company officials said neither ChevronTexaco nor Nigerian government officials had been able to establish contact with the more than 100 protesters, who arrived at its Ewan oilfield in several speed boats on 14 August. The company had evacuated its employees from the oil platform, located eight km from the shore, before the arrival of the protesters from the nearby Ilaje community.
"We have not entered into discussions of any sort with the men and women who have occupied the facility," a senior official told IRIN, "but we still hope for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the problem."
The protesters said last week they wanted an agreement with ChevronTexaco that would oblige the company to provide amenities and jobs for area residents. They also want the company to clean up the environment which, they said, had suffered from oil pollution.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
