Main militant group in restive Niger delta calls off cease-fire with Nigerian government
By APFriday, January 29, 2010
Militants in Niger call off truce with Nigeria
LAGOS, Nigeria — The main militant group in the oil-rich Niger delta has called off its cease-fire with the Nigerian government.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta issued a statement early Saturday morning saying the cease-fire that it had with the government since Oct. 25 had ended.
The government had offered militants an amnesty program that included cash payments to lay down their weapons under the direction of President Umaru Yar’adua.
Despite hopes that the cease-fire would hold, the militant group said the government acted “like a victor over a conquered people.”
The militant group said that the oil industry in Nigeria should expect an all-out onslaught against their pipelines and their workers.
