Nigerian Government, Military Are Extremely Challenging To Work With - US Hearing

The Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service, Lauren Blanchard, has accused the Nigerian government and its military of being uncooperative.

Lauren Blanchard

Speaking on Thursday before the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa’s hearing entitled, ‘Human Rights Vetting: Nigeria and Beyond’, Lauren said the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions which is the main factor hindering the United States of America from rendering effective security assistance to the country, adding that the security relationship between Nigeria and the US was hampered by the lack of cooperation and systemic failure in Nigeria.

Describing Nigeria as “an extremely challenging partner to work with", Lauren said, despite about N1trn ($5.8b) security budget, the Nigerian troops are not adequately resourced or equipped to counter Boko Haram insurgency and are slow to adapt with new strategies, new doctrines and new tactics.

Related: US Officials Still Unable To Track Boko Haram's Finances

According to Punch report, the congress heard how the Nigerian government has been resisting advise to adopt a more comprehensive approach to Boko Haram, and also investigate allegations of human rights abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.

Lauren said, "The Nigerian government also has appeared reticent in some cases to allow its security forces to participate in US training programmes. The State Department indicates that there are currently 187 Nigerian military units and 173 police units that have been vetted and cleared to receive U.S. assistance and training. It is unclear whether the Nigerian government has given approval for such training to occur. Multiple systemic factors further constrain the effectiveness of the Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram, notably security sector corruption and mismanagement, and some of these factors impede US support even for units that have been cleared for assistance.

Related: US, Nigeria Hold Talks To Wipe Out Boko Haram

"State Department human rights reports have continued to highlight serious human rights violations by the Nigerian security forces every year. These violations include politically motivated and extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, and torture,” Blanchard said at the hearing.

Source: Legit.ng