NIGERIA: DELTA WORKING GROUP INITIATED

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000310 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CLASSIFICATION DOWNGRADED TO CONFIDENTIAL - NOFORN CAPTION REMOVED - PARA 2, 3 AND 4 SIPDIS CLASSIFICATION CHANGE). SIPDIS STATE PASS DOE FOR DAS JBRODMAN AND CGAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS AND SRENENDER COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ STATE FOR DS/IP/AF, AF/EX, DS/IP/OPO, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/ITA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2016 TAGS: EPET PGOV ASEC PTER KHLS PINR ETRD CASC NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DELTA WORKING GROUP INITIATED REF: LAGOS 297 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Acting Pol/Econ Chief Shannon Ross for Reasons 1.4 (D & E) -------------- Weekly Meeting Established -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Post initiated a weekly Delta Working Group (DWG) consisting of U.S. Consulate personnel and oil/oil service company representatives to facilitate Delta security and hostage crisis information exchange. Consulate personnel provided the group an overview of the security situation and hostage status, and the representatives agreed to provide company maps of their operations in the Delta and share information from their source networks in the area. -------------- Ijaw - Itsikiri Relations -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The DWG representatives reported hearing rumors of Itsikiri's in the Delta rearming to defend themselves from Ijaw intrusion into their communities. (Note: Sources in Warri also say the Itsikiri are prepared to defend themselves, but say there is currently no tension brewing between the Itsikiri and Ijaw. End note.) -------------- Arms Flowing Into The Delta -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The DWG representatives said arms are freely flowing directly into the region from suppliers in Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Georgia, Ukraine, and elsewhere, often conveyed aboard boats disguised as fishing vessels (commonly known as "greyhounds"),which the militants motor to from the creeks to pick up the weapons offshore. The representatives said weapons turned in for the Rivers State "buy back" were mostly older models. The group complained they are required to turn in to the GON any arms seized from militants by their security forces, frequently they are back in the perpetrators' hands within hours. Legatt requested that oil company representatives contact the Consulate if there are future seizures. Legatt would then contact appropriate GON units to raise the visibility of the seizure and avoid the weapons' return to their former owners. -------------- JTF Role In Bunkering -------------- ¶4. (C) The DWG representatives said JTF (or elements of the JTF) complicity in illegal oil bunkering and providing protection for bunkerers is common knowledge, and General Zamani's deputy is a leading participant. They said the attacks two weeks ago which precipitated the current crisis were directed at eliminating competing bunkerers. HOWE