2nd UPDATE: Nigeria's MEND Declares Indefinite Ceasefire
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- The main militant coalition in Nigeria's Niger Delta Sunday declared an indefinite ceasefire, ending a threat to resume hostilities after the government agreed to engage in dialogue with its representatives.
The news is the latest success for the Nigeria's efforts to tackle unrest in the oil-rich Delta.
On Oct. 15, the coalition's most senior field commanders accepted an offer to disarm after accepting a presidential amnesty offer. In a statement, Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said that on Tuesday, the government "expressed its readiness to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with every group or individual towards achieving a lasting peace in the Niger Delta.
The news follow a meeting between Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua and former MEND leader Henry Okah Monday.
"To encourage the process of dialogue between the government and the team that MEND has selected to negotiate (...), an indefinite ceasefire has been ordered and takes effect from 0000, Sunday," Gbomo said.
MEND, which wants a better redistribution of oil revenue in favor of the Delta, said on Oct. 15 it was ending a three months ceasefire and would resume attacks.
The groups operating under its umbrella have been responsible for the majority of bombings that have shut down nearly 1 million barrels a day in the region.
Okah, and other Niger Delta leaders have warned, however, that current progress will not translate into lasting peace if the root problems of the conflict - endemic poverty, oil-related pollution and nearly non-existent infrastructure - are not addressed.
-By Benoit Faucon Reporter Dow Jones +44 207 842 92 66
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Publié le 25 octobre 2009 Copyright © 2009 Dowjones
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