Switzerland has refuted claims it funded military operations against Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.
There had been allegations that the country was among donors to an international intervention force that had contributed to funding for military currently confronting Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin.
This allegation was raised on Monday by a senior African Union official – Security Council chief, Smail Chergui at a donor conference in Addis Ababa.
Recall that Boko Haram, while carrying out suicide assaults on markets, mosques and other civilian targets within Nigeria, had in the past years, stepped up cross-border attacks in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
However, debunking the allegation, the Swiss foreign ministry in a statement sent to AFP by its embassy in Paris on Wednesday said, “Switzerland’s action in the Lake Chad region consists solely and exclusively in the financial support to the major humanitarian agencies.
“As a neutral actor in conflict situations, Switzerland has never given financial support to military interventions and will abstain from doing so in the future.
“Switzerland had given around $12 million to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the Boko Haram crisis, but claims it was funding the military force were ‘incorrect,’ the statement added.
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