Peace in the Niger Delta may still be long in coming as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday disowned the peace agreement the federal and Bayelsa State governments signed with some militants last week in Yanogoa.
MEND also insisted that it was going ahead with its planned resumption of hostilities after the three months moratorium which it gave to gauge the commitment of the federal government to acceding to the group�s requests.
In the agreement with the government, the militants had agreed to stop all forms of hostilities in exchange for their requests which range from provision of employment to its members and other concessions that border on development of the region.
In a statement sent online by MEND and signed by Gbomo Jomo, the group dismissed the peace accord as a �Jamboree�.
�The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND), wishes to clarify it�s position on the Bayelsa Peace Conference and Agreement Signing ceremony of Thursday, December 6, 2007.
�MEND categorically neither denies participating in the jamboree nor sign any peace accord. The group abides by its resumption of hostilities and hostage taking until our core demands are met.
�It is fraudulent and a sign of desperation on the part of the Federal and Bayelsa state government of Nigeria to hire political thugs to pose as repentant militants in an attempt to hoodwink investors, the Nigerian public and the international community�, it stated.
Dec92007