The slow pace of talks between the Nigerian government and representatives from the Niger Delta—exacerbated by the impending 2019 elections—have frustrated the militants who prompted the negotiations, causing oil majors to be concerned about an impending wave of attacks on the oil and gas infrastructure in the area, a new research note from Verisk Maplecroft says. “The fragile peace in the Niger Delta is on the cusp of breaking down again,” Malte Liewerscheidt, the consultancy’s senior Africa analyst, said. “Militant groups are running out of patience, the government is unable to deliver on its promises, the president is a ‘lame duck’, and the umbrella group negotiating on behalf of the militants shows signs of disintegration.” The collective effect of these realities pressurizes Nigerian politics going into the 2019 elections. High-strung rhetoric from opposing parties, who either promise too much or too little to the residents of the oil-rich Niger […]