The European Union, Canada and other donor countries have expressed their continued support in humanitarian activivties to Nigeria as the country continue to battle insurgency in the North-East.
This affirmation came after the EU and these countries have earlier expressed concern over the recent military invasion of the United Nations base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Aside Canada and EU, other countries that condemned the invasion include Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
In a joint statement issued today, the members of the donor community appreciate the proactive measures taken by both the federal and the Borno State governments to explain the real reasons behind the military’s visit to the UN base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri.
“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”, the statement read in part.
“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”, it added.
The Nigerian military was accused of an ‘unauthorised invasion’ of the United Nations base for humanitarian workers in Maiduguri, Borno state on 11 August, 2017. Nigerian government had since clarify the mission of the military to the base.
