Nigeria's violent Niger Delta has been relatively quiet in the past few weeks, as the government continues consultations ahead of a summit on the region. But some of the region's militants say the fragile peace is being threatened by a lack of government commitment to the crisis, as Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports for VOA.
 

Militants wearing black masks, military fatigues and carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers patrol the creeks of the Niger Delta area of Nigeria (File)

"We want to control our resources ourselves. We want the development that is [seen in] other parts of the country to be in the Niger Delta. For example, we don't have good drinking water, we don't have good schools. There is no electricity. And, we produce the highest income that the country is using today."
 
Armed groups protesting neglect and poverty in the vast wetlands region have stepped up violence against oil workers and industry facilities since the 1990s.
 
The violence has forced thousands of foreigners to leave Africa's top oil producing region, reducing output by more than 20 percent.