Nigerian Rebel Group Confirms Attack on ExxonMobil, Claims Seven Hostages

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for an attack on Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Nigerian unit in Akwa Ibom state, Bloomberg reports. The southern Niger River delta, home to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, has seen a new surge of violence since a government amnesty in 2009 led to the disarming of thousands of fighters and a period of relative quiet. Seven foreign workers were abducted in an attack on Afren Plc’s offshore Okoro field on Nov. 7, about a week after an Eni SpA pipeline was sabotaged in a separate attack. Attacks by armed groups in the delta region cut Nigeria’s oil production by more than 28 percent from 2006 to 2009. Seven local employees were abducted in yesterday’s operation, according to the rebel group.