Shell money to Nigerian death squads

Shell in the Niger Delta from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

From daily The Guardian in Britain:

Shell accused of fuelling violence in Nigeria by paying rival militant gangs …

David Smith

Monday 3 October 2011

Shell has fuelled armed conflict in Nigeria by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to feuding militant groups, according to an investigation by the oil industry watchdog Platform, and a coalition of non-government organisations.

The oil giant is implicated in a decade of human rights abuses in the Niger delta, the study says, claiming that its routine payments exacerbated local violence, in one case leading to the deaths of 60 people and the destruction of an entire town.

Platform’s investigation, which includes testimony from Shell‘s own managers, also alleges that government forces hired by Shell perpetrated atrocities against local civilians, including unlawful killings and systematic torture. …

In Counting the Cost: Corporations and Human Rights in the Niger Delta, Platform says that it has seen testimony and contracts that implicate Shell in the regular awarding of lucrative contracts to militants. In one case last year, Shell is said to have transferred more than $159,000 (£102,000) to a group credibly linked to militia violence.

Nigeria: Oil Firms Fined N480 Billion for Bribing Public Officials: here.

Showing progress on long-stalled negotiations, Iraq’s oil minister and Royal Dutch Shell PLC said they reached a preliminary accord on a $12 billion deal for producing natural gas at southern Iraq oil fields: here.

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• Nigerian President Denies Corruption Charges (Quel Surprise!) and Use of Death Squads Against Opponents (matthewaid.com)