Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan will meet former rebel leaders from the oil-producing Niger Delta on March 26, hoping to get a federal amnesty program back on track. “The meeting is to assure former militants of the commitment of the government to the post-amnesty program and the development of the Niger Delta region,” a presidency source told Reuters. Little progress has been made in implementing the amnesty program, the most comprehensive peace effort in the Niger Delta for years, since President Umaru Yar’Adua fell seriously ill last November. Recent militant attacks have threatened to undermine the peace process further and prolong the unrest, which has kept Nigeria from pumping much more than two thirds of its 3 million barrels per day oil capacity. Jonathan, who took over executive powers last month in Yar’Adua’s absence, has made restoring peace in the Niger Delta a top priority. (Reuters)
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