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Tuesday, 02 December, 2008, 22:40 GMT | more >>

Gambari calls for Delta truce


News wires

Senior United Nations official Ibrahim Gambari, appointed by Nigeria to set up a peace summit meant to end unrest in the oil-producing Niger Delta, said he would seek a 90-day truce with militants ahead of the meeting.

"Before the summit we will hold thorough consultations in the creeks with the militants and stakeholders in the Niger Delta so that we can have a truce that will last for at least 90 days," Reuters quoted Gambari as saying after meeting President Umaru Yar'Adua.

Yar'Adua said earlier this month that the long-awaited summit would take place in July.

The bombing of pipelines and kidnapping of oil workers in the Niger Delta have cut production by a fifth since early 2006, helping to push world oil prices to record highs.

Yar'Adua came to power just over a year ago promising to engage the Niger Delta militants, but the peace process has made little real progress since then.

The main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), carried out its most daring attack to date on Thursday, forcing Shell to shut production at Bonga, its main Nigerian offshore oilfield.

Mend announced a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday but has stopped short of agreeing to participate in the peace summit, saying it will do so only if Henry Okah - one of its leaders on trial for treason and gun-running - is allowed to attend.


Tuesday, 24 June, 2008, 13:36 GMT  | last updated: Tuesday, 24 June, 2008, 18:10 GMT

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