Nigeria: War against terrorism will cost many lives

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for more transparency and a better protection of the civilian population in the course of the anti-terror war against Boko Haram in Nigeria. “The war against the terrorist group Boko Haram in the north-east of the country is taking place behind closed doors. Neither journalists nor humanitarian workers or employees of human rights organizations have access to the conflict zone and to the civilians still living in the area,” said the STP’s Africa-consultant, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Wednesday. “The death toll in the Boko Haram conflict is certainly much higher than the official figures. In the periodic reports listing the army’s victories, civilian casualties in the anti-terror struggle are usually not mentioned. “According to information by the Nigerian air force, there were 1,488 air strikes against suspected Boko Haram positions in September/October 2015 alone.

Yesterday, the “Institute for Economics and Peace” published its “Global Terrorism Index”, listing 6,644 deaths in Nigeria since the beginning of 2015. A total number of 7,512 terror victims were counted in the West African country during the full year of 2014. “However, if one wants to capture the horrors of the Boko Haram conflict realistically, the bloody counter-terror measures of the security forces and allied militias must be taken into account as well. The civilian population fears the arbitrariness of the army as much as the terrorists,” said Delius. In a bomb attack Boko Haram carried out in the city of Yola (Adamawa), 32 people died on Tuesday night alone.

So far, about 2.5 million Christian and Muslim civilians were forced to flee from terrorist attacks and counter-terror measures. 2.15 million of them are IDPs who mostly stay with relatives or friends. “Their supply situation is disastrous. Due to the widespread corruption in the country, large parts of the aid supplies do not reach them,” reported Delius – and warned: “The field of humanitarian assistance in northeastern Nigeria must become much more transparent: Without comprehensive aid for the refugees, there will be no lasting peace. Poverty, corruption and abuse of power will lead to even more violence in the region, which also has to suffer from the harsh consequences of climate change.”

Boko Haram officially joined the “Islamic State” in March 2015 and has proclaimed a “West African Province” of the Islamic State.

Header Photo: Photo Unit via Flickr