Call For Immediate Action to Stop the Attacks on Niger Delta Civilians by Nigerian Military Statement From Sweet Crude, a Documentary Film About the Niger Delta Crisis
May 19, 2009, Seattle – The production company of the documentary film Sweet Crude, about the Niger Delta of Nigeria, calls on the U.S. government and international community to act immediately to stop the current attacks by the Nigerian military on Niger Delta civilians, and to demand safe passage for humanitarian relief workers into the region.
On Wednesday, May 13, the Joint Task Force (JTF) began aerial and ground attacks on militant camps in the Niger Delta. On Friday, these attacks widened to include at least nine Gbaramatu Kingdom Ijaw communities, including Oporoza, the village where much of
Sweet Crude was filmed. Based on our most recent information, these attacks on civilians continue.
According to first-hand accounts by village residents, the JTF used gunboats and helicopters to fire on villages, with women and children among the estimated 500 casualties. Some were killed while fishing in canoes. Residents fled in terror into the bush. The villages are now deserted and as many as 30,000 civilians are displaced without adequate food or water supply.
There is no way to accurately report on the number of casualties, as aid agencies have not been able to get into the region. This leaves the injured without medical attention, as there are no hospitals in the area. It is reported that the JTF has closed the waterways, barring outside access and preventing villagers from traveling and fishing.
There is a tragic history of Niger Delta civilian communities being targeted by the Nigerian military. In 1999, Odi, a community of 5,000 was wiped out completely – all residents were killed and the village was razed. In 2005, Odioma suffered a similar fate, as did the village of Agge in 2008.
The current attacks, said to be sanctioned by President Yar’Adua, fly in the face of recent talks between the Nigerian Federal government and Niger Delta activists, including militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Specifically targeted by aerial bombardment was the home of Tompolo, widely seen as a political leader of the militant movement.
“While making this documentary film over the last three years, I asked continually, ‘What if the world paid attention before it was too late?’, says Sweet Crude director Sandy Cioffi. “Today, I don’t know for how many in the communities where we filmed, it’s already too late. What I do know is the Niger Delta has reached a new level of humanitarian crisis and moved closer to the brink of war. The world must step in before more innocent lives are lost, to avert another African tragedy.”
“Yar’adua has made a public pronouncement of amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta, only to order military invasion of innocent civilians,” says Joel Bisina, Niger Delta conflict management and community development expert. “This kind of deception has been perpetrated many times in recent decades. Now the army has issued a warning to stay away from the waterways. People will be dying daily, not only from bullets, but also from hunger because the creeks have been cut off from food supplies. If the Nigerian government and its military are not called to order immediately, the world will be faced with a humanitarian crisis of immense proportion.”
Sweet Crude
calls on the U.S. government and international community to take action to stop the current bombardment and hold the Nigerian government accountable for its authorization. We call for an immediate cease fire. We call for safe access into the area of humanitarian organizations and journalists – to assure the safety of the refugees, medical treatment for the injured, and an accurate assessment of the conditions and casualties. And we call for an inquiry into the attacks. The truth of what transpired must be investigated and the way paved for legitimate, third-party-monitored talks before the situation devolves into full-scale war.
Please read below for first-hand accounts of the attacks and links to news reports.
Call For Immediate Action to Stop the Attacks on Niger Delta Civilians by Nigerian Military Statement From ADDENDUM War in the creeks: Stop this carnage, say N-Delta leaders News article, Vanguard, May 18 Nigeria: Seizing the Moment in the Niger Delta For background: International Crisis Group report, April 30 Statement from a member of MEND, received May 18 It all started on wednesday 13th may 2009 when five gunboats of the Joint military Task Force (JTF) came to camp five and started shooting, so our fighters resisted and they went back and came on friday with 15 fast gunboats, two navy wars and four helicopters gunships and begin to carry out a maximum military operations on camp five, kurutie, kunukunuma, Okerenkoko and Oporoza communities. Before this incident, the Gbaramatu kingdom was preparing for a cultural festival called Amaseikumor festival to celebrate the newly installed traditional rular, HRM Godwin K. Bebenimibo DSP(Rtd) Ogeh-Gbaraun 111, Aketekpe, Agadagba of Gbaramatu kingdom. And so as celebrants were gathered in the palace, the four helicopter gunships air raid Oporoza and killed over 65 persons including women, children and the aged. All residents in the entire Gbaramatu kingdom have fleed for safety. All the communities are deserted. The military has burnt down camp five and kurutie community and has been looting the deserted communities. The fleeing women and children are even denied humanitarian assistance by the military thereby compounding the problem. President Yar'Adua refused to call the military to order which is an indication that he has ordered an ethnic cleansen because of our God given resources. As I am writing, the bombardment continous. Press release issued by Dr. Chris Ekiyor, President of the Ijaw Youth Council, May 18 Clarion call for cease of hostility on Ijaw communities by JTF. The IYC has watched with disdain and chagrin the recent bombardment of Ijaw communities by members of the JTF of the federal republic of Nigeria in the pretence of cleansing our communities off militants. As at the time this communiqué has been issued; the following communities, namely AZAMA, KUNUKUNUAMA, KURUTIE, OKERENKOKO, OPOROZA, BENIKURUKURU, OKOARANKO, KOKODIA-GBE, KOLOKUMA and the entire GBARAMATU communities has been sacked. This has led to an untold suffering by the inhabitants of the aforementioned towns and villages. A case of double jeopardy, with the blatant slaying of over a 500 law abiding citizens mostly women and children, and … people rendered homeless without food or water. To buttress the insincerity of the Federal Government and the calculated genocide by the Yar’adua administration. There has been heavy military presence in the following major Ijaw towns, namely KAIAMA, ODI, OPOKUMA,YENAGOA, BOMADI, PATANI, OKRIKA, DEGEMA, BONNY, BUGUMA, BELE to mention but a few. It should be restated here that IYC under my leadership believes in dialogue as a means of peaceful mediation in conflict resolution and vehemently opposes the use of force in achieving peace. This genocide by the Yar’adua administration can only escalate the fragile peace been enjoyed in the region and thus, should be stopped. I am also using this as a means to call on the international communities, well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to stop this genocide, conduct a thorough investigation on those responsible for the show down and bring them to justice, not minding whose horse is gored. The recent onslaught has brought to bear the insincerity of President Yar’adua’s administration on the question of amnesty. Is it not a national shame that President Yar’adua has refused to meet with Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on this or any other issue in the past 72 hours? Similarly, the IYC calls for total restrain from both side of the conflicts. We have already appealed to our kith and kin in Ijaw communities to remain calm and law abiding while we find a peaceful resolution to this avoidable aggression on our communities. We still will maintain our position on Nonviolence direction action as a mean to resolving the crisis. Excerpts from Rosiji Olarenwaju’s story of the Oporoza attack Told to the Nigerian Tribune May 18 What was your experience like in the area? It was around 12.00 noon on May 15, 2009. I was at the library at Oporoza, I happened to be one of the corpers posted there. I heard the sound of helicopter but because helicopters do come there sometimes, I was not too surprised until I started hearing Gbaum! Gbaum!! Gbaum!!!. I thought it was pipelines that were blowing up and so I opened the door and immediately I saw the whole community running helter-skelter. I saw two jet fighters; they came down almost landing on the ground, though people say the jet fighters were many but I could only see two. They were shooting and aiming at one white house (guest house) opposite the palace and the palace. On that day, it happened to be the day the king of the kingdom was celebrating the collection of his staff of office to be the king of the Gbaramatu kingdom, so, people were many that day, from both the community and outside the community. As the shooting was going, people ran into the bush as they were now aiming their machine guns at the king’s palace and the white guest house. As the events were unfolding, some people were still running into the king’s palace to see refuge and so this time the jet fighters just rose a little and started aerial bombardment of both the palace and the white house. After bombarding both places, they faced the library where I was … I was expecting death but got out from there miraculously. FOR MORE INFORMATION
Leslye Wood: 206-915-4339 media@sweetcrudemovie.com www.sweetcrudemovie.com
Available for interviews: Filmmaker Sandy Cioffi: 206-612-0684 Niger Delta Conflict Management & Community Development Expert Joel Bisina: 571-213-4310
Great news!
Today's New York Times, Art and Leisure section, pg 18, has a feature article of Director Sandy Cioffi and "Sweet Crude". http://tinyurl.com/8xbr6k
This is a boon to ths amazing project that has gone over and above its original call and purpose. Sandy has put her self out there in so many ways, even experiencing illegal detainment in Nigeria last April when she and a crew were there to obtain the last footage for the film. That incident was a set back in some ways, including financial.
May this article bring well deserved visibility and attention to the important humanitarian issues this documentary illuminates!
By the way, I am honored to have one of my photos in the article; it is one of my favorites.
This is a quick hit fundraiser that ends December 5th. Don't miss out! Check our home page between now and the 5th to see how we're doing.
On April 12, 2008, members of the Sweet Crude film crew were detained by the Nigerian JTF while traveling by boat in the Niger Delta. They were handed over to the Nigerian SSS and held for seven days without being charged and without access to legal counsel.
On April 18, the crew walked out of military prison – but their footage remained behind. These interviews were to be the final chapter of the film.
The Nigerian government meant to sabotage Sweet Crude and suppress the truth about the Niger Delta. So far they are failing. We emerged more determined than ever to finish this film – and we are close. But the detainment cost us tens of thousands of dollars.
We need your help to dig out of this financial hole and sabotage the would-be saboteurs. Coincidentally, sabotage was one of the charges being considered against the crew.
As much as we have and will continue to welcome your enthusiastic support, in this moment it's money we need. We realize it's not a great time to ask, given the current economic mess here in the U.S. But hey, at least this investment will yield you a beautiful piece of art instead of a loss.
Here's the deal and we do mean deal: for just $100, you'll get to take a stand for journalistic freedom AND get a limited edition, hand printed Sabotage poster.
ORDER at the bottom of this Sweet Crude page.
http://www.sweetcrudemovie.com/sabotage.php
In the first moments of the detainment, crew member Tammi Sims used her cell phone to call Leslye Wood in Seattle. For the next seven hours, Tammi managed to surreptitiously send a steady stream of text messages. By the time the JTF took Tammi's phone, Leslye knew enough about the situation to have already begun critical release efforts.
This arresting (pun intended) piece of word art is made from the actual text messages Tammi and Leslye exchanged – on the day the crew were captured and just before they boarded the plane home to Seattle a week later. Designed by up-and-coming Seattle graphic artist Gabriel Stromberg, the posters are 18" x 24", hand painted and silk screened on archival quality cardboard stock. They are produced one by one, so each is a unique work.
This is a quick hit fundraiser. We'll be taking orders until December 5th – just around the corner. Then we will print as many posters as we have orders for. So please, don't hit snooze and lose your chance to own this piece of Sweet Crude history. Scroll down and order right now! Why December 5th?
The cost for these extraordinary art pieces is only $100 (USD) each. If you can afford more, we hope you'll buy lots of them. They will make great gifts. Just choose your quantity when you get to the payment page. Or if you just want to make a big fat donation or get involved in other ways, you can do that here($1000 or more will be processed through a 501(c)(3) for tax deductibility).
ORDER at the bottom of this Sweet Crude page.
Here is the CNN video clip
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2008/05/28/inside.africa.c.nigeria.oil.prices.cnn