Nigeria's Peace Talks Are Doomed From the Start

Nigeria's most dangerous militant group is willing to deal with the government, but President Muhammadu Buhari may have little to bargain with. On June 13, the Niger Delta Avengers, who have wreaked havoc on the country's oil and natural gas infrastructure over the past few months, announced that they were open to negotiating with the Nigerian administration. The offer, which came a few days after Abuja launched an initiative to bring important Niger Delta stakeholders together to resolve the region's long-standing grievances, could present an opportunity for the president to address one of the biggest security challenges of his term. But with few financial incentives at its disposal, the cash-strapped government will have a hard time convincing the militants to lay down their arms. ...