Niger Delta Militants Suspend Ceasefire over British Pledge

Nigeria’s rebel Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has called off a two week ceasefire following Britain’s pledge to support the Nigerian government in the conflict in the oil rich Delta. MEND said it would resume armed attacks starting Saturday and threatened British interests in the region because of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s announcement at the ongoing G8 summit that his administration would support the Nigerian government’s efforts to pacify the troubled delta. The militants, who had declared a unilateral ceasefire on June 22, are opposed to an upcoming federal summit on the Niger Delta crisis. [P.E]