Clashes in Nigerian Port City
Government troops battled militia forces Thursday in the creeks and mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta, a leading African oil region, pressing an offensive that has forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes.
Burned houses and twisted metal roofs -- strewn over an area the size of a football field -- showed the savagery of militia attacks on one slum district in this city of 3 million.
A few refugees made their way through the streets, carrying their belongings in bundles. Most of the people killed had no known ties to any militia faction, said Daniel Wogu, a resident.
The crackdown, with soldiers sealing off river approaches to Port Harcourt and helicopter gunships patrolling overhead, is the latest in yearlong clashes for control of oil wealth.
The violence has killed more than 1,000 people in the last year.
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