Nigeria’s largest rebel militia group declared a 60-day ceasefire Wednesday, following the release by the government of their leader. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) announced the ceasefire, starting Wednesday, in a statement after the government in Abuja released Henry Okah.
MEND target oil production facilities in the Niger Delta, claiming that not enough of the country’s profits from its oil resources, often run by foreign multinationals, find their way back to the local population.
Okah had been held for more than a year by the government on charges including treason, but was released as part of an amnesty.
MEND have firebombed oil facilities both offshore and around Lagos, as well as kidnapping foreign nationals involved in the oil industry.
The MEND statement said the ceasefire included kidnappings, but the group separately told the BBC that pipelines and oil buildings already blown up must not be repaired.
Whilst MEND is the largest of the armed militia groups operating in the Niger Delta, there are hundreds of other criminal gangs – many of whom are not expected to observe the ceasefire.
Since 2006 oil production in Nigeria has been cut by 20 per cent due to the actions of MEND and other groups.
Source: AHU – David A-O