Nigerian Militants Halt "Oil War," 09/21/08

MEND militants in Niger have announced a cease-fire in their campaign against multinational petroleum companies working in the Niger Delta. MEND stated that the cease-fire precipitated after appeals from tribal leaders in the region. In their week long "oil war," MEND has severely disrupted oil production in the Niger Delta. The attacks forced petroleum giant Shell to declare force majeure on their contract. A force majeure is a common clause which frees all parties from contractual obligation in the case of an extraordinary event such as natural disaster or war. The Nigerian military and petroleum companies are taking the announcement witha grain of salt because this is not the first cease-fire of this type and only time will tell if oil production can remain at full tilt in Nigeria.

See the article here. -S