Niger group claims attack on China-backed pipeline, threatens more
AN armed group opposed to Niger's ruling junta disabled a section of the country's PetroChina-funded (601857.SS) crude oil pipeline in an attack, it said in a statement. The pipeline has a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) and extends for nearly 2,000 km (1,243 miles) linking Niger's Agadem oilfield to Benin's coast. Exports are meant to be loaded under a $400 million deal with oil giant China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC). The Patriotic Liberation Front (FPL) said its attack on the pipeline was aimed at pushing Niger's Chinese partners to cancel the export deal. The FPL formed after the West African country's July…
