''Niger Delta crisis ends soon''

  1. Posted on Sunday 19 July 2009 - 15:08
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohamed Kamara, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The Niger Delta crisis will soon come to an end, the Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has said.
    nigeria map
    "Niger Delta crisis is one that cannot be resolved overnight, but my conviction is that this is the beginning of the end. It has got to the peak, and it has to nosedive,’’ Jonathan stated while receiving the newly elected members of the National Executive of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).

    The Nigerian federal government has suffered economically from the ongoing Niger Delta crisis in the South of that country. The main militant group operating in that area the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) claimed they are fighting for a fair share of their country’s oil wealth but the group has come under sharp criticism for its tactics and the disturbance of oil supplies in that country.

    Niger Delta Minister Ufot Ekaette told the BBC that a lasting peace could be reached within the next 60 days. "That's a good time for us to work with them [Mend], chat with them and come out with some conclusions."

    The MEND announced this week that they will accept a proposed amnesty offer by the Nigerian government following the release of Henry Okah a key militant leader. Furthermore the MEND said they will observe a 60 days ceasefire as part of their acceptance.

    The Mend has assured that they will monitor their own ceasefire, but said it would not enforce the deal for other militant groups. Shortly after declaring the truce, Mend released a statement saying it was alarmed at reports of a military force approaching one of its camps.

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