* Government urges MEND to accept amnesty

* Militants divided

By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Nigeria's main militant group should rethink its threat to resume attacks on the OPEC member's oil industry and instead lay down its weapons and accept an amnesty, a government official said on Monday.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), responsible for attacks that have wrought havoc on Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, said on Saturday it would resume its campaign of violence on Sept. 15. [ID:nLM66894]

MEND, which declared a 60-day ceasefire in July to allow for peace talks, said it had suspended negotiations with the government.

"They (MEND) should reconsider their stand and join the amnesty boat because the boat is about to sail," said Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, spokeswoman for the presidential panel on amnesty.

President Umaru Yar'Adua offered an unconditional pardon in June to all militants who take part in the amnesty, the latest effort to stem unrest which has prevented Nigeria from pumping much above two-thirds of its oil capacity in recent years.

The amnesty programme officially ends on Oct. 4.

MEND, a loose coalition of militant groups, has denounced the scores of rebels that have surrendered their weapons and taken up the amnesty.

Hundreds of militants handed over machine guns, rocket launchers, mortar bombs and gunboats in a public ceremony in the Bayelsa state capital Yenagoa on Saturday.

"You cannot wish away what happened in Yenagoa over the weekend," Agary said. "(MEND) says they will resume hostilities by Sept. 15. Let's wait and see."

Some security analysts expect the military to launch another major offensive against militants who do not accept the amnesty once the 60-day offer period ends in October.

But Agary said there was no such threat and that there was still time for peace talks.

(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ ) (Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Nick Tattersall)

AlertNet news is provided by