NAME OF MECHANISM

Niger Delta amnesty programme

PERIOD OF OPERATION

6 August 2009 – present. The amnesty programme ran until 4 October 2009. The government now is implementing the “post-amnesty programme.”

MANDATE AND OPERATIONS

Mandate: Established by President Umaru Yar’Adua to provide unconditional amnesty to militants operating in the Niger Delta region who surrender their arms.

Staff: Presidential Committee on Amnesty (number of members unknown). Chaired by Defence Minister Godwin Abbe.

Budget: Approximately US$63 million, provided by the Nigerian government [WSJ | 5 Aug 2009].

RESULTS

By the deadline for the amnesty, 4 October 2009, 20,192 Nigeria Delta militants had surrendered their arms [Next News | 26 Jun 2011]. The ex-combatants were promised a presidential pardon, rehabilitation, education and vocational training [BBC | 26 Jun 2009]. The success of the programme was reflected in the return of peace and resumption of operations by oil companies in the region. Due to weaknesses in the “post-amnesty programme,” however, former militants have protested and commentators have criticised the plan for failing to address the causes of militancy in the area.

In December 2009, then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan (now the president of Nigeria following the death of Umaru Yar’Adua in May 2010) inaugurated five panels to run the second phase of the amnesty process in the region, referred to as the "post-amnesty programme," which includes retraining and a comprehensive development programme for former militants.

In mid-March 2010, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a rebel group purportedly fighting for a fairer share of the Delta’s oil wealth for the local population, detonated two bombs during the opening ceremony of a post-amnesty dialogue [Irish Times | 3 Mar 2010]. On 1 April 2010, it issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerian government to speed up implementation of the post-amnesty programme, including full reintegration of militants into society [All Africa | 1 Apr 2010]. In May, MEND acted on its stated intention to attack oil installations unless its demands are met in the wake of military attempts to remove it from the area [Afrik.com | 25 May 2010].

On 30 May 2010, the United States ambassador to Nigeria indicated that the US government would aid in expanding the post-amnesty programme to address more of the local population’s needs and demands [Afrique Avenir | 30 May 2010].

As of June 2011, 15,434 ex-combatants were enrolled in the post-amnesty programme, which entails undergoing “non-violence transformational trainings.” Of this number, 5,000 were receiving a formal education and vocational training, with more expected to participate in the programme in coming months [Next News | 26 Jun 2011].

BACKGROUND

Since the late 1990s, the Niger Delta has seen sporadic but serious violence linked to the local population’s discontent about lack of development and environmental pollution in this oil-producing area, which is the source of much of Nigeria’s wealth. The government’s response to civil action was largely repressive, which has led to militant groups destroying pipelines and kidnapping foreigners working for multinational oil companies in the region.

In 2004, the government attempted a cash-for-arms programme in the area that met with little success. In 2007, one of the three states in the region, Rivers State, made payments to rebels who renounced violence, but this programme also failed. The current amnesty programme is the most recent attempt to end the revolt in the Niger Delta [WSJ | 5 Aug 2009].

SOURCES

[Afrik.com | 25 May 2010]
[Afrique Avenir | 30 May 2010]
[All Africa | 1 Apr 2010]
[BBC | 26 Jun 2009]
[Irish Times | 3 Mar 2010]
[Next News | 26 Jun 2011]
[Wall Street Journal | 5 Aug 2009]