The Nigerian militant group has unilaterally declared cease-fire in the southern oil region, reports from agencies said on Sunday.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said this in a statement in an e-mail.

The main militant group said the cease-fire is effective at 0000 GMT on Sept. 21, one week after it launched " oil war" in theregion.

MEND said it made the cease-fire decision after calls from elders.

The militant group has in the past week widened its "oil war" in southern Nigeria, crippling oil production in the region.

It announced on Thursday that it had destroyed a major pipeline in southern Nigeria.

A statement from the military group issued via e-mail said onThursday that MEND members had destroyed a major pipeline belonging to Shell Development Company at the Elem-Kalabari Cawthorne Channel axis in Rivers state of Nigeria.

Besides the new attack, MEND, who has been in intensive fightwith Nigerian government forces since Sept. 13, has allegedly destroyed another three crude oil pipelines in Nigeria's southeastern Rivers State, one at Bakana Front in Degema Local Government Area, one at Nembe creek and the other at Rumuekpe area.

MEND on Tuesday destroyed the Orubiri flow station operated by Shell in Rivers state of Nigeria in a new alliance attack, and warned extending attacks to offshore oilfields and other Niger Delta states.

The military group has launched a series of attacks on oil facilities and military targets in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.It blew up a major trunk pipeline at Nembe creak and captured oil and gas stations in the area last Sunday. It destroyed crude oil pipeline at Bakana Front in Degema Local Government Area in Nigeria's southeastern Rivers State on Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2008)