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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Nigerian militants declare ceasefire |
| 2008-09-22 |
| Nigeria's main militant group said on Sunday it had begun a unilateral ceasefire after a week of clashes with the military and attacks on oil installations which cut output in Africa's top producer. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) launched strikes against pipelines, flow stations and other oil and gas facilities last Sunday in response to what it said were ground and air strikes by the military against one of its bases. "Effective 0100 hours (0000 GMT) September 21, exactly one week after we launched our reprisal, MEND will begin a unilateral ceasefire till further notice," the group said in an e-mailed statement. It said it had taken the decision after a plea by elders but warned it would restart its campaign if it came under attack from the security forces. It also warned that other groups aligned with it may not respect the ceasefire. "We hope that the military has learnt a bitter lesson. The next unprovoked attack will start another oil war that will be so ferocious that it will dim the pleas of the elders," it said. MEND has carried out at least six attacks in as many days over the past week, its most intense campaign for years against the oil industry in Nigeria, the world's eighth biggest exporter. Royal Dutch Shell, the company hardest hit by the violence, declared a force majeure on shipments of Bonny Light, a type of crude oil, effective from Friday. |
| Posted by:Fred |