Militants declare cease-fire

2008-09-21 19:04

Lagos - Nigeria's main militant group declared a unilateral cease-fire in the southern oil region on Sunday, ending the worst spate of militant attacks in years to hit Africa's oil giant.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it was ceasing hostilities immediately after appeals from elders and politicians in the region.

The group, however, said it would launch another spate of reprisal attacks in the event of another military raid on one of the group's base camps.

A military operation on September 14 prompted the latest surge in violence, with rare clashes between the military and militants that normally avoid outright confrontation. The militants declared a state of war, but called it off on Sunday.

"We hope that the military has learnt a bitter lesson.

Production down 40%

"The next unprovoked attack will start another oil war that will be so ferocious that it will dim the pleas of the elders," the group said in an e-mailed statement.

The group, which is a loose alliance of various armed gangs operating in the southern Niger Delta, attacked military positions, destroyed pipeline-switching stations and blew up pipelines that carry crude from wells to export terminals in southern Nigeria.

The state oil company said production is now down about 40% from Nigeria's normal daily output of 2.5 million barrels of oil per day - helping send crude prices to historical heights this year in international markets.

- AP