7 May 2008
Washington, DC — The campaign of United States presidential candidate Barack Obama has denied reports that Obama appealed to a militant group to end hostilities in the Niger Delta.
"Senator Obama has not made any recent comment on the situation in the Niger Delta," the campaign in press guidance provided to AllAfrica. "The Senator does advocate an end to the violence in the Delta region and urges all parties to establish a process for addressing the relevant issues and grievances in order to create the conditions for peace and economic development," the statement said.
The Lagos-based This Day newspaper reported on Monday that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), an armed group in the Niger Delta, was considering an appeal from Obama for a ceasefire. In an email statement, Mend said "Obama is someone we respect and hold in self-esteem." Mend also asked the Nigerian government to improve living conditions for Harry Okah, its imprisoned leader.
In the email cited by the paper, Mend did not say how Obama contacted the organization with his offer.
Mend is believed to be behind a series of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta in the last two weeks. The attacks have forced cuts in production in the Niger Delta.
On Wednesday, a government official from one of Nigeria's Delta states told BBC that former United States President Jimmy Carter could play an important role in mediating between Mend and the Nigerian government.
In April, Mend wrote to U.S. President George W. Bush, asking for Carter and actor George Clooney to mediate in the Niger Delta. In that letter, Mend said its aim is "the crippling of the Nigerian oil export industry."
Mend told the BBC that Carter had accepted its invitation to mediate, a claim that the Carter Center denied. "The Carter Center's correspondence with Mend emphasized that President Carter would seriously consider undertaking a mission if he were formally invited by all relevant stakeholders in the Niger Delta conflict," a center statement said, according to the BBC.
Nigerian Militants May Suspend Attacks After Obama's Plea (This Day)
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