MEND release 19 hostages

The main militant group in the oil-producing Niger Delta say it has released around 19 Nigerian oil workers kidnapped last month but was still holding two Britons and a Ukrainian.

"The Nigerian hostages rescued from pirates by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have been released in Rivers state," MEND said in an e-mailed statement.

"Due to the location where the expatriates were kept for their safety, they cannot be released at this time because of security concerns," the group said.

Two Britons, two South Africans and a Ukrainian were kidnapped from an oil supply vessel, the H.D. Blue Ocean, after it was hijacked on Sept. 9 at the entrance of the Sambreiro River in the delta, a vast network of mangrove swamps.

MEND said a few days later it had rescued the hostages along with 22 Nigerians but that they had become trapped by fighting after the army attacked one of the militant group's camps.

It also said it was holding them as "reward leverage" for the release of its suspected leader Henry Okah, on trial for gun-running and treason at a closed-door trial in the central Nigerian city of Jos.

The two South Africans were later released.
More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped by militants in the Niger Delta, the heart of the country's oil industry, since 2006. Almost all have been released, normally after the payment of a ransom, although this is always officially denied.

Mend caused severe disruption by attacking gas plants, oil installations and pipelines. It claims to be fighting for greater control over oil wealth in the impoverished region. But opponents say the militants make money from criminal rackets and trade in stolen oil.

MEND launched six straight days of attacks on pipelines, flow stations and other oil and gas facilities last month in what it said was retaliation for raids by the military. It declared a unilateral ceasefire after a plea by elders.

The militants say they want more development and a better living environment after decades of neglect in the delta. MEND claims its motives are political and has in the past issued statements saying it does not approve of kidnappings for ransom.

But the unrest, which has cut oil output in the world's eighth biggest exporter by around a fifth over the past two years, is fuelled by armed factions protecting a lucrative trade in stolen oil worth millions of dollars a day.

More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped in the delta, the heartland of the country's oil sector, since early 2006.

Almost all have been released unharmed.
Around a dozen gunmen in a speedboat kidnapped six Filipino workers during an attack on an oil service vessel on Saturday. No group has claimed responsibility for that attack.

In a separate incident, gunmen on Saturday released another British expatriate, David Melford, seized on Sept. 15 in the oil hub Port Harcourt. A British foreign office spokesperson said he had been visited by consular staff and was safe and well.

A senior member of MEND told Reuters that Melford's release was unrelated to its own release of hostages, and confirmed that the group was still holding three expatriates.

"The Brits ... and one Ukrainian are still in our custody," the MEND member told Reuters, adding that around 19 Nigerians had been released on Sunday morning.

Author: Jo Amey