This can't be the same Sudan that is on the United Nation's High Commission on Human Rights? That's some other Sudan, right? Because the savior of the world, the U.N., would never allow one of the worst violators of human rights in the world to help police human rights violations. That's simply not possible.Amnesty International:

At 5:55 pm local time yesterday, security forces in plain clothes entered the building where the NGO Forum was being held. The security forces -- their number varying from six to 15 during the occurrence -- ordered all delegates to switch off their mobile phones. They said that the meeting was "unauthorized" and demanded the names of all participants. Participants, numbering approximately forty, were ordered to hand over all documents and laptops. Some resisted; the security forces forced upon their bags. Some small scuffles broke out. At this point more security forces entered and surrounded the room. Still and digital photographs, along with recorded video, were taken of all the participants. Some participants were pushed, threatened, and told "you better do what we say or you will face problems later". There were repeated demands to participants to hand over their belongings.

Security forces attempted to divide the participants into international and national groups. Attempts were also made to separate women from men. Many refused both requests.

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An American oil worker taken hostage by Nigerian terrorists claiming to be part of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta has been identified as Patrick Landry. Three others were taken hostage. They are: Briton Nigel Watson-Clark, Honduran Harry Ebanks, and Bulgarian Milko Nichev.

As I speculated earlier, the terror organization is part of a larger Ijaw rebellion. Although Nigeria is dominated by Muslims, the ethnic Ijaw minority are mainly Christian and have been complaining for decades about corruption, mismanagement, and mistreatment by the central government. Whatever the misdeeds of the Nigerian government, taking hostages is NEVER a legitimate avenue of political protest.

Melbourne Herald Sun:

SEPARATIST rebels in Nigeria are close to achieving their aim of paralysing oil production in the Niger delta, after a series of attacks and kidnappings.

Yesterday four foreign oil workers kidnapped by militants spoke to the media by phone on their sixth day in captivity.

They read their captors' demands, including a 48-hour deadline, and warned the military against attempting rescue.

The kidnappers have staged a series of attacks on oil pipelines, platforms and workers over the past three weeks, denting supply from the world's eighth largest exporter and driving up world prices...

"I'd like to contact my family and let them know that I am all right and everything with us is good," said a man who identified himself as Harry Ebanks from Honduras. "The only thing (is) the environment is not good with us because there is a lot of mosquitoes and it is dangerous for us."

The Briton, who identified himself as Nigel Watson-Clark, read a list of five demands by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.

"The Nigerian Government should not make any military intervention," he said. "They should not make any attempt to rescue us as it has been made clear that it may result in the loss of our lives."

A man identifying himself as Patrick Landry, a US citizen, said: "This climate in the conditions we're in is not conducive to us, especially as I am an older man and my health is not good.

"I'd like y'all to contact my family and let them know that I'm all right, these people are treating me good, but the climate is not what it should be." ...

The group demands local control of the delta's oil, payment of $1.5 billion by Royal Dutch Shell to the Bayelsa state government to compensate for pollution, and the release of three men including two ethnic Ijaw leaders.

"If the Nigerian Government does not meet these demands in 48 hours, whatever happens is in their own doing," the British hostage said.

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Probably victims of Ijaw extremists (who are animists and Christians), but there is a growing Islamist movement in Nigeria as well with its accompanying violence. Nigeria is proof that oil has a terrible track record at making nations wealthy.

UPDATE: Regular commenter Jesusland Joe informs me that his cousin works for Shell in Nigeria. If any one learns of the name of the hostage, please e-mail me. We pray that this hostage will be released unharmed. UPDATE II: Jesusland Joe has confirmed his cousin is o.k.

Washington Post:

Gunmen stormed an offshore oil platform run by Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria and kidnapped four foreign workers, including an American, while apparent sabotage ruptured a pipeline at a facility processing 106,000 barrels of crude daily, officials said Thursday.

Gunmen in three boats seized the workers from a support vessel attached to the oil platform Wednesday, Shell spokesman Andy Corrigan said in London.

Military spokesman Maj. Said Hameed said the four included an American, a Bulgarian, a Briton and a Honduran, and "efforts are being made to secure their release."

In a separate incident, a major pipeline feeding Shell's Forcados oil export terminal ruptured overnight at Brass Creek, forcing the company to stop production of 106,000 barrels of oil daily, Shell said.

A Shell spokesman in Lagos said the pipeline exploded, though details were sketchy. In December, a major Shell pipeline was blown up by unknown attackers, forcing the company to shut down large volumes of crude oil.

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Sick. Disgusting. Disheartening.

While African women in Darfur were being raped by the Janjaweed militiamen, Arab women stood nearby and sang for joy, according to an Amnesty International report published yesterday. The songs of the Hakama, or the "Janjaweed women" as the refugees call them, encouraged the atrocities committed by the militiamen. The women singers stirred up racial hatred against black civilians during attacks on villages in Darfur and celebrated the humiliation of their enemies, the human rights group said....

During an attack on the village of Disa in June last year, Arab women accompanied the attackers and sang songs praising the government and scorning the black villagers.

According to an African chief quoted in the report, the singers said: "The blood of the blacks runs like water, we take their goods and we chase them from our area and our cattle will be in their land. The power of [Sudanese president Omer Hassan] al-Bashir belongs to the Arabs and we will kill you until the end, you blacks, we have killed your God." ...

The Janjaweed have abducted women for use as sex slaves, in some cases breaking their limbs to prevent them escaping, as well as carrying out rapes in their home villages, the report said.

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