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Amnesty for Nigerian oil militants underway
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 06 - 08 - 2009


A 60-day amnesty for militant groups in
Nigeria's restive Niger Delta came into effect on Thursday - a move
the government hopes will end attacks on oil facilities, according to dpa.
Nigeria's main militant group the Movement for the Emancipation of
the Niger Delta (MEND) has conducted a long-running campaign of
sabotage in the oil-producing Niger Delta, cutting the West African
nation's oil production by over 20 per cent since early 2006.
President Umaru Yar'Adua in late June unveiled the amnesty,
offering a presidential pardon, education and training to those who
lay down their arms within that period. One of MEND's leaders Henry
Okah, who was arrested in Angola in 2007 on charges of treason and
gun-running, was also released.
However, it is not yet clear if MEND or other groups will
officially take up the offer.
MEND has said it will cease all attacks during the amnesty period
and admitted that one of its commanders, Ebikabowei Victor Ben -
known as Boyloaf - was in talks to return to civilian life.
However, MEND said it would wait for ongoing negotiations to be
completed before revealing its intentions.
"When we choose to disarm, it will be done freely; knowing that
the reason for our uprising , which is the emancipation of the Niger
Delta from neglect and injustice, has been achieved," MEND spokesman
Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement.
Militants operating in the delta say they are fighting for a
larger share of the wealth for local residents, who complain the oil
industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods.
However, illegal bunkering - the practice of tapping into oil
pipelines and selling the crude on the black market - takes place in
the background of the conflict.
Many of the gangs are backed by businessmen and politicians, who
are believed to make millions of dollars each day from siphoning off
oil.
Analysts say that the amnesty deal, which is not the first such
offer, may not seem particularly tempting with such huge sums of cash
on offer.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation, with around 150 million
inhabitants. Despite its massive oil wealth, most Nigerians live in
poverty.


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