Nigerian militant group Niger Delta Avengers announces ceasefire

The Nigerian militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has announced a ceasefire and readiness to engage in talks with the Nigerian government.

The group, which is calling for a greater share of Nigeria’s oil wealth to go to the impoverished Delta region, has sabotaged Nigeria’s oil production bringing its yields to a record low.

In a statement distributed to the media on Saturday night, the NDA said it has undertaken to “continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interests of the multinational oil corporations”.

They however said they will continue to “adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period” if security agencies “arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade especially Ijaw communities,” it warned.

It said it will support a collective negotiating team from the Niger Delta “to engage with the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational Oil Corporations and neutral international mediators.”

The NDA has claimed responsibility for many pipeline explosions in the oil regions of Nigeria. The government had said in June that they had agreed on a one-month ceasefire with the group and talks were ongoing, but the NDA later denied the claim.

The NDA had denied several other government statements suggesting ongoing peace talks and continued their attacks on oil installations in the southern Niger Delta region.

A number of new militant groups have sprung up in the last few months also attacking oil installations with new set of demands.