AMADI-AMA, Nigeria (AFP) - Nigerian rebel leader Mujahid Dokubo Asari assured his arch rival in the battle for the control of oil resources in the Niger Delta, Ateke Tom that he was ready to make peace.
The two gangs fighting for supremacy over the oil wealth in the region, the hub of Nigeria's lucrative oil industry, signed a ceasefire and disarmament agreement in Abuja on Friday after months of violence.
Asari's Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) and Akete Tom, leader of the rival Niger Delta Vigilantes signed the peace deal at the request of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Both factions hail from the Ijaw people, the delta's eight million-strong dominant ethnic group.
Asari told a rally at Amadi-Ama outside Port Harcourt, the hub of Nigeria's oil industry, that he had made peace with Ateke. The town was one of the spots worst affected by the gang violence, which threatened to disrupt the delta's vital oil production.
"Ateke is our brother, our son. He has regretted having allowed himself to be used by enemies of the Ijaw nation and we have forgiven him," he told the gathering.
"He has dropped his guns and we have dropped ours. If he picks up the guns again, we will pick up ours," he said
"Ateke wants peace. We will give him the benefits of the doubt that he is sincere," added Asaru, who said he had spoken with his rival by telephone on Sunday morning.
"For the sake of our common struggle. We have agreed to work together. But if Ateke refuses to support the cause, we know what to do," Asari warned, adding that he and his rival planned to visit each other's home towns.
"Ateke will accompany me to Buguma while I will in return visit him at Okrika to prove to the world that we are serious about the peace process."
Threats made against the oil sector by Asari's group strongly influenced the price of crude oil during the last week. Nigeria is sixth in the league of world crude exporters.
Most of the 2.5 million barrels daily produced by Nigeria, fifth largest oil supplier to the United States, comes from the Niger Delta.
The rebels had threatened to go to war if their demands for a bigger slice of Nigeria's oil wealth, greater autonomy for their Ijaw people, and a national debate on Nigeria's problems were not met.
Several issues remain outstanding following the three-day talks with the government in Abuja.
The NDPVF leader said the struggle for self-determination would continue, adding that the Nigerian government had committed to making it realisable.
"Obasanjo agreed with us that the Ijaws have a right to self-determination and we will be meeting him in Abuja on Friday to continue the negotiations," he said.
Obasanjo's office confirmed that the president would continue talks with the Delta militia chiefs in order to restore peace in the region, but could not give a precise timetable.
However, Asari accused the governor of the delta's Rivers State, Peter Odili of working against the Ijaws, and called on him to stand down.
"Odili has insulted the Ijaw nation. He told Obasanjo we are not more than 15 percent of the population in Rivers State. We will not stop this struggle until he is kicked out of government house," he said.
Odili on Sunday extended an amnesty offer to the rebel gangs following the Abuja peace deal, but asked their supporters to hand in their weapons.
Asari who was treated to a heroic welcome in Amadi-Ama, thanked the people for their backing.
"I am grateful. I am humbled by your show of strength and support," he said, adding that the town suffered losses both human and material during the fighting in the past months.
The town's traditional ruler, E.A.G. Inimgba, thanked Asari and his group for their support, stressing that the rebels were doing so at great risk to their lives.
He said Asari should work towards a lasting peace in the region, where armed violence has left some 500 dead in Port Harcourt and its environs since August, according to Amnesty International.