Former militants urge Niger Delta Avengers to join gov't talks

Former members of a militant group in Nigeria have urged the Niger Delta Avengers to engage in talks with the government and cease attacks on oil facilities.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), one of the largest militant group in the Niger Delta called on the Niger Delta Avengers to join them in talks with the government.

“If indeed your cause is to avenge the injustice done to the Niger Delta region then, we urge you to ceasefire and join us to the table of negotiation with the federal government, otherwise, the Niger Delta struggle shall be hijacked, once again, by selfish interests for their own personal aggrandizement,” the group said.

We urge you to ceasefire and join us to the table of negotiation with the federal government.

“Our message to the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is simple: The Niger Delta struggle is beyond attacks on oil installations,” it added.

The Niger Delta Avengers have claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil and power installations in the Niger Delta region.

They claim their mandate is to liberate the Niger Delta people for a greater share of oil wealth and pollution.

Assaults by the Niger Delta Avengers have sent the country’s crude output to its lowest level in decades. Africa’s largest economy’s oil production has fallen from 2.2 million barrels per day to about 1.4 million.

The country’s oil industry accounts for about 70 per cent of government revenue.

On Wednesday, the Niger Delta Avengers had rejected a proposal for dialogue with the government and other militants over their demands.

Reuters