Representatives of the major Niger Delta militant groups have failed to reach an agreement on ending violence and kidnappings in the region.
The Voice of America reports that the groups failed to reach a consensus on who among them truly represents the people of the Niger Delta.
The report said the breakdown of the talks followed the declaration of a recent ceasefire by militant groups. A VOA reporter, who attended the meeting held at a secret location in the creeks, stated that the meeting, whose date was not disclosed, was the �brightest hope of bringing peace to the area. For the first time in several years, all the groups have reached a seat at the table and discussed this issue. At first, the indication that this might lead to a breakthrough was the ceasefire agreement that was struck by all the parties at least until the peace talks end. But that did not work as several factions disagreed on who are authentic militant groups representing the people of the area. So, a lot of people are scared this might spark fresh fighting, fresh bombings and fresh killings in the area.�
The reporter said he spoke with a militant leader, who said his group was going into the talks without conditions. The militant leader, however, described the other groups as thugs and hired killers on the payroll of some politicians.
�That angered several of the other groups, who also accused his group of selling out. At that point, several of the leaders of the militant groups just got up and walked out of the meeting. Later, their spokespeople said there was nothing to sit down and discuss and effectively, the meeting was over,� he said.