May 25, 2006: The army and navy forces in the Delta Region are facing better armed and equipped local gangs, and are not able to shut the gangs down. Tapping into oil pipelines and stealing oil continues, and this provides the gangs with a steady cash flow. The better armed gangs are branching out into more ambitious attacks on oil company operations in the Delta. Payrolls are a favorite target. The region is becoming more dangerous, and unruly.
May 22, 2006: Some of the oil pipelines in the Delta, previously shut down by local gangs, have been reopened. Apparently deals have been made with the oil companies, to pay off the gangs to allow this.
May 18, 2006: The government is buying a dozen F-7 fighters and three FT-7NI jet trainers from China, for $17 million each. The aircraft are most useful for ground attack, as they are basically Chinese copies of the 1950s era Russian MiG-21.
