Some members of the European Union (EU) and other countries have condemned the recent military invasion of the United Nations base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The countries are Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the countries announced their concern over the ”unauthorized search by the Nigerian military of a United Nations base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri, Borno state on 11 August, 2017”.
They, however, expressed hope that such incident will not re-occur.
“We welcome the clarifications provided by the Nigerian government at the federal and state levels and we take note of the acknowledgement that this operation was a mistake.
”We appreciate the government’s commitment to uphold the principles of International Humanitarian Law which protect all humanitarian organizations.
”We wish to confirm our commitment to support humanitarian operations in north-east Nigeria, and reaffirm our determination to continue to work closely with the government of Nigeria, the United Nations and other international aid agencies to assist and protect the most vulnerable in the region”.
DAILY POST recall that following peace talks initiated by the Borno State government, the UN resumed its humanitarian operations in the state.
UN Deputy Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, Peter Lundberg made the announcement at a joint press briefing with Governor Kashim Shettima at the UN camp in Maiduguri last weekend.
He said: “I am very pleased to report that our relationship of collaboration and trust is intact.
“At this stage we are focused on the work ahead to ensure that the millions of vulnerable people in the northeast are supported with life-saving humanitarian aid”.
Lundberg, who thanked Shettima for his intervention, noted that “Responding to the humanitarian needs of millions of people in the northeast remains our priority and our focus, each and every day”.
“The fact remains that the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s north-east and the Lake Chad region - now in its eighth year – is one of the most severe in the world today”.
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