Ceasefire suspension may make British citizens targets

The militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) announced on 10 July 2008 that it is ending the ceasefire it declared in late June. The ceasefire suspension was in response to a 9 July statement by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the United Kingdom will help Nigeria quell unrest in the Niger Delta, which MEND has taken as support for Nigeria's "illegal government." The ceasefire is set to end at midnight local time on 12 July. The statement announcing the end of the ceasefire specifically mentioned British citizens and interests in the region as legitimate targets.