Nigerian militants call for mediation
The main militant group in Nigeria’s oil-rich south said it would halt hostilities that have helped drive global crude prices higher if the government there would agree to mediation involving former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
The militants said Carter had agreed to help negotiate an end the long-running crisis, but an official affiliated with the former president said only that he was ready to be “helpful in the quest for peace.” The group in recent months has also asked for help or claimed involvement by actor George Clooney, President George W. Bush and presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.
Attacks against Nigerian oil installations have increased since one of the militants’ presumed leaders went on trial weeks ago. A series of recent pipeline bombings has cut crude production in the key oil producing nation by tens of thousands of barrels per day.
