NIGERIA: MILITANTS ASK MITTEE FOR HELP FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000374 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL EPET NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MILITANTS ASK MITTEE FOR HELP FOR VILLAGERS WOUNDED IN RIVERS CONFLICT; SOME VILLAGERS KILLED IN JTF ATTACKS REF: A. LAGOS 366 ¶B. LAGOS 365 Classified By: Consul General Donna Blair, Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Ledum Mittee, newly elected Chairman of the Technical Committee on the Niger Delta, told Pol-Econ Chief September 17 that he has been barraged with calls from militants seeking help for villagers wounded in the on-going conflict in Rivers State. He has confirmed that villagers were killed by "bombs" dropped from military Joint Task Force (JTF) helicopters, and that he has sent trusted associates to confirm claims of wounded villagers. Mittee plans to tell Vice President Goodluck Jonathan what he knows, but recognizes that solving the crisis in Rivers State goes beyond his mandate as Chair of the Technical Committee. Meanwhile, the factional Movement for the Emancipation of the niger Delta (MEND) announced a ceasefire on September 23. Ambassador was told on September 21 by the Governors Forum Chairman Bukola Saraki that a gentlemen's agreement had been reached to allow the new Niger Delta Ministry to start up and the technical committee to begin its work. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ledum Mittee, newly elected Chairman of the Technical Committee on the Niger Delta, told Pol-Econ Chief September 17 that since his election to the position was announced, he has been getting calls from Niger Deltans asking for his help in resolving the current crisis in Rivers State. According to Mittee, a long-time leader of the non-violent Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP),he had to abort a trip to the United Kingdom to deal with the barrage of calls. Villages "Bombed" by JTF -------------- ¶3. (C) Militants have been calling hi from the creeks "desperately" seeking help for women and children who had been wounded by Joint Task Force (JTF) forces on September ¶13. The villages where the wounded are located are in the Kalabiri area of Rivers State, Mittee said, although he has heard that two villages in Bayelsa State were also attacked by the JTF. He has sent close associates to visit the sites, and expects to receive reports from them sometime Thursday, September 18. Mittee said he had been able to confirm reports of villagers having been killed by "bombs" dropped from JTF helicopters. (Note: In a September 18 conversation, Ann Pickard, Shell's Managing Director for Africa, (strictly protect) confirmed that the JTF used helicopters against militants in the September 13 attacks. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Mittee told Pol-Econ Chief he plans to speak to the Vice President by telephone on Thursday, September 18 to inform him of what he has learned. At the very least, Mittee said, the Federal Government should let the Red Cross or other entity into the area to provide medical treatment for the wounded. Mittee did note that it was possible that the militants were staying in the villages precisely so as to use the women and children as a shield against JTF attacks. Resolving the Crisis "Beyond His Mandate" -------------- ¶5. (C) While he initially looked upon the calls from militants as a way to engage them in the work of the Technical Committee, what they are asking him to do is beyond his mandate as Chairman of the Committee, he told Pol-Econ Chief. Neither he nor the Committee will be able to resolve the conflict in Rivers State, he said. Nonetheless, if he can help, he wants to do so, as he has spent the better part of his adult life in the service of the people of the Niger Delta, he said. Some callers have asked that he resign, rather than act as a "front for the people who are killing us." He's under a lot of pressure, he said; he feels as though everyone in the Niger Delta has his cellphone number. LAGOS 00000374 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Comment: Mittee, who sounded exhausted and was clearly dispirited by the continuing conflict, is the only individual of whom Post is aware who is trying to verify and alleviate the suffering of individuals caught up in the militant-JTF crossfire. End Comment. BLAIR