Peakah's Provocations...

With the results of Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Rita on the verge of driving up gas prices, not to mention the instability in Venezuelan leadership, we have this happening as I type in Nigeria.

ABUJA, Nigeria, Sept. 22 -- Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a separatist leader in Nigeria's oil-producing south, was brought before a federal court here Thursday on charges of treason--a crime that carries the death penalty--while his angry followers reportedly seized at least one facility that controls oil pipeline flows.

The confrontation between Nigerian authorities and radical activists from the impoverished Niger Delta could put new pressure on global oil prices at a time when the destruction from Hurricane Katrina in the United States already is pushing prices toward historic highs.

In the delta, activists took control of at least one oil flow station, owned by the U.S. oil firm Chevron, and threatened more disruption. Police have sent reinforcements to Port Harcourt, the delta's largest city. Royal Dutch Shell, the region's largest oil company, evacuated nonessential staff.

Alali Horsfall, Dokubo-Asari's second-in-command in the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, said by cell phone Thursday that he and a force of 6,000 men, armed with machetes and dynamite, had taken over 10 oil flow stations and would not abandon them until their leader was freed from custody.

The dictatorial madness happening all over the African Continent is a future powder keg with lots of sparks, in the form of Islamic radicalism, flying around. Considering the oil that these dictators have allowed us to pump from their countries and the attitude of the Islamic radical leaders in the area attempting to wrestle control of these pipelines, this situation is yet another soon to blow.

Are we going to again have to put up with these dictators to protect our assets? This scenario tends to have negative results. The alternative is to quell yet another radical uprising with our military that is already being stretched to the breaking point.

This could be an area to involve the brave French troops considering their influence in the area but how reliable is their help?

I have a feeling that we're soon to find out.