18 Aug 2009
A main Nigerian rebel group says that an alleged extrajudicial execution by the military may endanger the fragile ceasefire with the country's armed forces.

Niger Delta rebels, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said in a statement on Tuesday that the military's Joint Task Force (JTF) unit in Sama, had "executed an unarmed man and dumped his body into the river,” the previous day.

The group, which is fighting for a larger share of the government's oil revenue, warned that this act could put at risk last month's 60-day ceasefire, which followed deadly confrontations between the JTF and MEND.

"Such irresponsible action by the military, even if it is targeted at civilians, is not acceptable and can jeopardize the current ceasefire if repeated," said the statement cited by AFP.

The statement also declared support for the area's youth, who in retaliation to the execution attacked the JTF unit, killing one soldier. The youth claimed that they were allowed to defend themselves.

The clashes left dozens of soldiers, militants and civilians dead.

President Umaru Yar'Adua's declared an unconditional amnesty for all militants in the volatile region on June 25, to promote a ceasefire.

"There was no such incident to the best of my knowledge,” JTF spokesman, Colonel Rabe Abubakar told AFP. "The JTF cannot go contrary to the amnesty program."

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