Nigeria: Security Forces and Insecurity

"Boko Haram is both a serious challenge and manifestation of more profound threats to Nigeria's security. Unless the federal and state governments, and the region, develop and implement comprehensive plans to tackle not only insecurity but also the injustices that drive much of the troubles, Boko Haram, or groups like it, will continue to destabilise large parts of the country. Yet, the government's response is largely military, and political will to do more than that appears entirely lacking." - International Crisis Group, April 3, 2014

The advice from international agencies and partners, as well as from Nigerian civil society, is consistent. A primarily military approach to the very real threat from Boko Haram in the northeast will not work, and in fact, will only produce more human rights abuses and fuel the conflict. Nevertheless, there seem to be no signs of a change in de facto government policy. And Nigeria's major partners, such as the United States, have given decidedly mixed signals on the issue, with an official designation of Boko Haram as "terrorist" last November, and news that the U.S. will be supplying additional training to Nigerian forces (see links below).

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