Source: Africa Renewal (New York)

By Ernest Harsch

Guard at an illegal diamond mine in Angola during the country's civil war. How can such resources be turned towards peace and development?

For years, Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta region has been the scene of repeated armed clashes among local residents, dissident groups and the military and police. The fighting has claimed many lives and sporadically disrupted the country's main export sector.

The unrest has been stoked by popular frustrations over poverty, pollution and heavy-handed security tactics. The area's "vast oil wealth has barely touched people's lives," noted the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in a July 2006 report on human development in the Niger Delta.

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Posted by pichu at January 19, 2007 10:47 PM