YEAR-2008 Fighters with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) raise their riffles to celebrate news of a successful operation by their colleagues against the Nigerian army in the Niger Delta on September 17, 2008. MEND has declared a full-scale "oil war" against the Nigerian authorities in response to attacks by the Nigerian military launched against the militants. "Our target is to crumble the oil installations in order to force the government to a round table to solve the problem once and for all", said Boy Loaf, leader of the militants. AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (Photo credit should read PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
Somalia gets all the attention these days, but there are pirates on the other side of Africa, too. All Benin has to oppose them are Chinese patrol boats, a couple of Boston Whalers and the fervent desire to revive their struggling non-ferrous base metals industry. [Men’s Journal]
