The United Kingdom, UK Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt has told the Nigeria Government to ask for help from the Uk and the briton would be willing to help in the fight against the alarming Boko Haram insurgence in the nation.
According to the news report by Vanguard, Hunt said the discord among
the Nigeria Army and the Local residence of the Northern state is the
reason for the unrest that his perturbing the peace of the region.
He said “intelligence information reaching him” reveals that lack of
trust between the authorities and indigenes is one of the reasons that
fuels attacks in the region. He also said the British government would
be willing to support the military fight insurgency, only “if the
authorities ask for help.”
The British government, in August 2017, announced £200million as aid
to assist Nigeria in fighting insurgency and training its military
personnel for four years: from 2018 to 2022.
Mr Hunt gave the latest assurance while on a visit to Maiduguri as
part of his Africa tour seeking ‘new UK partnerships’ across Africa, The
Guardian, (UK) reports. He is expected to visit Senegal, Ghana,
Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya from April – May 2019.
“I am here in Maiduguri North-east Nigeria, where the conflict which
has involved both Boko Haram and Islamic state West Africa has meant
that two million people have been displaced living in, effectively,
refugee camps,” Mr Hunt reportedly said.
“And the U.K is supporting the World Food Programme (WFP) which is
doing an extraordinary job. We have given £150 million since the start
of the conflict and they have been able to feed 1.5 million people as a
result of their activities here.
“I think the crucial deciding factor is the willingness and
enthusiasm of the Nigerian government and the Nigerian army to work
closely with us – we would like to support and help them, but they are a
sovereign nation and they have got to want our help,” he said.
The British envoy also accused the military of moving the locals into
towns “and assuming the ones that are not in a secure area are members
of Boko Haram.” He said while the approach is understandable, “the
effect means depriving the indigenes of their livelihood and homes.”
“The feedback I got from NGOs on the ground is that lack of trust
between the authorities and local people is one of the things that is
fuelling the problem at the moment.
“The Nigerian army strategy is largely about herding people into
towns and saying if you are not in a secure area, we are going to assume
you are Boko Haram and/or Islamic State west Africa,” he added. The
official said his government is considering providing both military and
non-military support to Nigeria.
“I think our approach is potentially a very significant one because
we could bring not just the British army (support) but also DfID (the
Department for International Development) and our experience in holistic
solutions to these kinds of situations,” Mr Hunt explained.
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