Britain offers to provide Nigeria with military assistance in the fight against Boko Haram

BRITISH foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that the UK will come to Nigeria's assistance by offering it any help needed to eliminate the Boko Haram menace whenever it is asked to do so.

Since 2009, Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast of the country and the UK has been offering training and technical advice to the military. However, this has appeared inadequate as the Nigerian Army has been unable to crush the terrorists, prompting calls for more to be done, with some members of the British Parliament even suggesting that UK ground troops be sent in to assist.

Currently visiting Nigeria, Mr Hunt appeared to agree on the need to increase the assistance offered by pointing out that Nigeria should ask for support in the fight against Boko Haram, adding that Britain would be ready to give it. He added that a perceived rift between the Nigerian Army and the local populace in the northeast is fuelling violence in the region.

In August 2017, Britain announced a £200m as aid to assist Nigeria in fighting insurgency and training its military personnel for four years from 2018 to 2022. Speaking in Maiduguri as part of his Africa tour seeking new UK partnerships across Africa, that will take him to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya, Mr Hunt said Britain could only offer more help if Nigeria asked for it though.

Mr Hunt said:  “I am here in Maiduguri northeast Nigeria, where the conflict which has involved both Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa has meant that 2m people have been displaced, living in, effectively, refugee camps.  The UK is supporting the World Food Programme (WFP) which is doing an extraordinary job.

"We have given £150m since the start of the conflict and they have been able to feed 1.5m 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, as we would like to support and help them but they are a sovereign nation and they have got to want our help.”

He also accused the military of moving locals people into towns and assuming the ones that are not in a secure area are members of Boko Haram. According to Mr Hunt, while the approach is understandable, the effect means depriving the indigenes of their livelihood and homes.

"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.

Furthermore, Mr Hunt said his government is considering providing both military and non-military support to Nigeria. He added: “I think our approach is potentially a very significant one because we could bring not just the British Army support but also the Department for International Development and our experience in holistic solutions to these kinds of situations.”