LAGOS (AFP) — Nigeria's most prominent armed group Saturday urged George Clooney, the Hollywood actor named the latest UN Messenger of Peace, to work on solving the unrest in the Niger Delta.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) wishes to draw your attention to the unrest in this oil-rich region of Nigeria which is gradually building up to a crisis that will make Darfur an adjective for child's play," MEND said in an open letter sent to the press.
It is Clooney's advocacy and fundraising work for an end to war in Sudan's Darfur region that earned him the UN nomination.
"We suggest that the UN should take a proactive step to nip the Niger Delta unrest in the bud before it is too late," the letter continued.
"Both sides of the conflict are building up arms for an imminent battle which can only be prevented with the intervention of well meaning and credible peace makers like you," the group said.
MEND invited Clooney to come and "see things for himself" in the delta.
The group reiterated its call for the release of Henry Okah, one of the group's presumed leaders, currently detained in Angola.
"His health has deteriorated from a chest infection and we demand a visit by the International Red Cross or a UN representative to ascertain his health status," MEND said.
The past two weeks have seen a new escalation of violence in the delta, characterised this time round by attacks on ships and tankers, many of them claimed by MEND.
Less well-known groups have also been carrying out a series of bank robberies and home invasions.
MEND claims to be fighting for a fairer share of the Niger Delta's hydrocarbons to go to local communities.
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