Militants Warn China Over Oil in Niger Delta

Immediately after the Nigerian government signed agreements on oil access and other investments with Chinese President Hu Jintao, militants detonated a car bomb and threatened Chinese investors and officials, as well as oil workers, offices and storage facilities. One militant group labeled the Chinese, who have a $2.2 billion stake in Niger Delta oil field, as “thieves.” Currently, the US is Nigeria’s biggest oil customer. Despite its great oil wealth, the most populous country in Africa is desperately poor, with the US State Department reporting that per capita income has actually fallen below levels from the 1970s. China’s increasing energy needs combined with unrest in some oil-producing nations have been cited as reasons for the jump in global oil prices. The area surrounding the Niger Delta has long been torn by political, religious and ethnic violence, and much like investors and workers from the West, China won’t be immune from the anger and terrorism. – YaleGlobal