Nigeria’s main militant group said in an email Thursday that it will put together a team to negotiate with the government, saying that the appointment of a new presidential adviser on the Niger Delta opens a channel for communication.
Its statement could pave the way to a resolution of a conflict that has resulted in the shutdown of 1 million barrels a day of production in the oil- rich Niger Delta.
In its email, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. or MEND, said the recent appointment of Timi Alaibe as presidential adviser on the Niger Delta means that a “channel of communication finally opened.” It said that as a result, MEND will put together a team of “negotiators to pass our demands and expectations to the president.”