Transnational angle to MEND’s return

Tribune

10 February 2012

Transnational angle to MEND’s return

Olawale Rasheed, identifies external hand in the resurgence of MEND, affirming that the South African game with Henry Okah has backfired.

The return of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta has an intricate international dimension mixed with the contest for strategic positioning between Africa’s two major powers, South Africa and Nigeria. From the beginning to the renewed hostility, the rivalry between the two allies and rivals has a major role to play.

Checks on diplomatic trends revealed a simmering feud which consciously or unconsciously may have fuelled the renewed resurgence of threats and sudden revival from the dead of an already decapitated insurgency. While both countries are maintaining diplomatic niceties in their interactions, The Friday Edition findings showed that competition for power and influence may have pushed MEND to the centre stage as a pawn in the hands of external or internal interests with high stakes in the diplomatic struggle.