US embassy cable - 03LAGOS631

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000631 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
CAIRO FOR MAXSTADT, TASKENT FOR BURKHALTER, PARIS FOR 
OECD/IEA 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2013 
TAGS: EPET, CASC, PINS, ASEC, PREF, PGOV, PHUM, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: TOTALFINAELF SUSPENDS OPERATIONS AT FOUR 
FIELDS IN NIGER DELTA 
 
 
REF: A. (A) ABUJA 558 
     B. (B) LAGOS 624 
     C. (C) ABUJA 554 
     D. (D) ABUJA 555 
 
 
Classified By: Robyn Hinson-Jones, reasons 1.5 (c) and (d). 
 
 
1. (C) Summary.  TotalFinaElf (TFE) has become the latest 
victim of the strife between the Ijaws and Itsekiris in the 
Niger Delta. TFE has withdrawn its employees from four fields 
and ceased production there. The Ijaws, in an effort to 
ensure that their complaints are heard, now threaten to 
destroy the oil pipelines if the Government of Nigeria does 
not respond to their grievances.  Meanwhile ChevronTexaco 
continued its drawdown of staff.  Three hundred persons 
including staff, contractors, and displaced persons remain to 
be evacuated. End summary. 
 
 
2. (C) On March 24,TotalFinaElf's Deputy Manager for 
Technical Affairs told CG that company officials became aware 
last week of possible future agitation in four of the fields 
the company is operating. The fields are located two hours by 
boat and 10 minutes by helicopter east of Warri. 
Consequently, on March 21, TFE stopped pumping oil from these 
fields, evacuated 54 of its 144 staff there.  The company 
intended to leave behind a skeletal crew of 20 people.  TFE's 
four fields normally produce 7,500 bpd out of a total of 
140,000 bpd plus 6 million cubic meters of natural gas. 
 
 
3. (C) On March 22, TFE staff on site were told of a heavily 
armed group of 70-80 Ijaws on its way to the facilities.  The 
Ijaws arrived in three speed boats and a gunboat.  They wore 
uniforms and carried sophisticated radio equipment. The Ijaws 
began firing at TFE's security force and killed three 
soldiers, a Nigerian logistician, and a mechanic. The last 
victim was a Nigerian security consultant, a retired Army 
colonel who was tracked down and murdered in his office.  The 
Ijaws burned a nearby village and a TFE work camp.  They left 
an hour later, which permitted TFE to evacuate 137 people 
including all remainng TFE staff, contractors, and Nigerian 
military personnel.  As of 1500 March 24, no TFE remained on 
site.  Even in retrospect, TFE'S Deputy Manager did not say 
why the facility was attacked or what the Ijaws wanted. 
 
 
4.(C) Despite the loss of six lives, TFE's Deputy Manager 
reported that little physical damage was done at the fields. 
TFE staff were able to shut down the facility thus lessening 
concerns of environmental damage.  Nevertheless, TFE 
management remains concerned that some disaffected groups may 
seize the opportunity afforded by the lack of protection at 
the sites to vandalize or otherwise damage field equipment. 
 
 
5. (C) Press sources report that the Ijaws are now 
threatening to destroy oil pipelines if their complaints 
reported in reftels are not addressed.  Sola Omole, 
ChevronTexaco's General Manager of the Government and Public 
Affairs, told EconOff March 24 that although Chevron's 
facilities are largely unguarded, he thinks it unlikely that 
the Ijaws will carry out their threat. Nonetheless, 
ChevronTexaco continued its draw-down of staff in the 
Escravos area. Three hundred persons including staff, 
contractors, and displaced persons remain to be evacuated. 
We expect they will be withdrawn within the next day or two. 
HINSON-JONES