Social

The historical failure of all stakeholders, predominantly the military state, to deliver even the most basic of developmental needs to a population living on top of one of the worlds largest deposits of oil and gas has created serious resentment and frustrations at all levels of society. Democracy has also failed to deliver since 1999 and the population has become further disenfranchised. This has created a situation where most citizens, even those who promote peace, can understand why some have turned to violence to bring about change.

This has coincided with social disintegration. The communities are less coherent and the social norms respected for centuries have lost their social value. The internal conflicts in communities have been fuelled by the oil companies.