The oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria has been for years the epicenter of conflicts between local communities, the Federal Government and Multinational Oil Companies. This master thesis argues that the socioeconomic situation of Nigeria and its high levels of corruption triggered this conflict. The operation of the Multinational Oil Companies and their impact on the environment and the local communities are researched in order to understand which way they corelate with the Niger Delta violence cycle. The case study of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta participates in the debate on how insurgencies are emerging in these situations, which are the causes, the pretexts, their way of operation, their targets, their status and which is the optimal way to counter them