Nigerian militants release vessel and six foreign seamen

Jul 22, 2009, 7:08 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigeria's main militant group said Wednesday it had released six foreign seamen and their vessel after almost three weeks in captivity.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has conducted a long-running campaign of sabotage in the oil- producing Niger Delta, said the release was part of a 60-day ceasefire it called last week.

EMS, the company that manages chemical tanker Sichem Peace, said in a statement that the sailors - three Russians, two Filipinos and an Indian - were on their way to Lagos for medical checks before flying home.

MEND announced the ceasefire after Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua unveiled a 60-day amnesty for the militants and released Henry Okah, a prominent militant leader who was arrested in Angola in 2007 and faced charges of treason and gunrunning.

However, MEND warned that the ceasefire was not completely unconditional.

'We wish to make it clear however that the pipelines and facilities that were destroyed during Hurricane Piper Alpha and Hurricane Moses will be revisited if they are repaired during this time,' spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in a statement.

Attacks by MEND and other groups have cut oil production in Nigeria, one of the world's largest crude exporters, by over 20 per cent since early 2006.

The militants say they are fighting for a larger share of the oil wealth for local residents, who complain the oil industry has ruined their ability to make a livelihood from agriculture and fishing.

However, criminal gangs and corrupt politicians are making vast amounts of money by stealing oil from the region and these groups will not observe the ceasefire, analysts say.