| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (52 min. 32 sec.) ; 318338242 bytes |
| Summary |
DELTA BLUESAaron Lewis travels to the oil-rich creeks of the Niger Delta where militants have been responsible for more than a decade of violence, sabotage, and hostage-taking.Despite the hugely profitable oil industry nearby, 90% of the Niger Deltans are unemployed, and live on a few dollars a day. Their frustration and anger has led many young men to take up arms, reducing Nigeria's oil production - once the 5th largest in the world - to a fraction of what it once was. But now there are promising signs of peace. Having failed to defeat the rebels with military force, the government has changed tack and is now offering an amnesty from prosecution to any militant willing to disarm. Aaron attends the disarmament ceremony of the first group of militants to take up the government's offer. They are led by General Victor Ben, alias 'Boyloaf', who was once one of the rebels' most respected battlefield tacticians, and a living nightmare for the oil companies."There is time for political struggle, there is time for armed struggle. And what we believe now, the time of armed struggle is over. I think we have to go into dialogue because we have to give peace a chance," he says.But for peace to last the government will have to address the massive under-development, environmental pollution and severe health problems in the Delta region.INTERVIEW WITH PERVEZ HOODBHOYIt's been declared a 'war zone'.This month, the entire nation of Pakistan appears to be at war with itself as the country's brutal 'do-or-die' war against religious extremism hits fever pitch.Following an ever increasing spate of violence in Islamabad and more brazen raids and attacks on the military, the country's military forces have finally struck back with the kind of offensive Washington and Europe have been pushing for years.This week George Negus asks regarded Pakistani intellectual, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, 'will it work?'According to the atomic physicist, who is also a prominent environmental and social activist, the army, "now with public support for the first time since the birth of the insurgency" has "finally mustered the will to fight".Now, with that fight on - a major displacement of the population is also in process.Officials have said this would be the final and perhaps most challenging of military assaults on the Pakistani Taliban, which has grown exponentially and now taken on Islamabad with unprecedented viciousness |
| Event |
Broadcast 2009-10-25 at 20:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: NC |
| Subject |
Petroleum industry and trade -- Political aspects.
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Political violence -- Economic aspects.
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Radicalism -- Religious aspects.
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Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc.
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Refugees -- Political aspects.
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Australia.
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Nigeria -- Niger River Delta.
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Pakistan -- Isla?ma?ba?d.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Abbe, Godwin, contributor
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Alaibe, Timi, contributor
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Ben, Barnabas, contributor
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Ben, Victor, contributor
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Dapa, Promise, contributor
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Egila, Luckyman, contributor
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Hoodbhoy, Pervez, contributor
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Lewis, Aaron, reporter
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Negus, George, host
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Nien, Obuwan, contributor
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Okah, Henry, contributor
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Sylva, Tiempre, contributor
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