Nigerian Warlord Agrees to Disarm

A militia leader who had threatened war in this country’s oil-rich Niger Delta agreed Friday to a tentative deal to disarm his fighters, but said he would keep up a political struggle for regional autonomy and a greater share of oil wealth.

President Olusegun Obasanjo also issued a statement after talks with Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, saying the warlord had agreed with other armed groups to disband his militia, disarm and cease hostilities.

Before the agreement, Dokubo-Asari warned foreign oil companies to withdraw their workers and quit the region. The threats helped send world crude oil prices to a peak of more than $50 a barrel.

“We’ve agreed tentatively to disarmament, but all the issues must be taken together, including the demands for self-determination and control of our resources,” Dokubo-Asari said after the talks. “I am happy with the agreement we reached with the government, because for the first time, the Nigerian government has agreed we can campaign to control our resources and ... self-determination.”

Dokubo-Asari, who heads the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, said talks with Obasanjo would resume Oct. 8.

Ateke Tom, who leads a rival militia group, the Niger Delta Vigilante Force, also agreed to disarm, Obasanjo’s office said in a statement. Tom’s fighters are believed to have the government’s backing.