UK Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said Nigeria can ask for the support of the United Kingdom as they battle against Boko Haram, and they would get it.
He recently spoke about the perceived battle between the Nigerian Army and the local populace in the North-east and voiced out about how it is instigating violence in the region.
He then revealed that the British government would be ready to support the military fight insurgency, only “if the authorities ask for help.”
His words, “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,”
“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.”
“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.”
