The protracted war against Boko Haram insurgents in the north-east of Nigeria has failed to reach an expected milestone due to the Nigerian military’s lack of access to sophisticated military weapons. The visit of the United States Secretary of State to Nigeria, John Kerry, came with another renewed commitment of the United States’ support for Nigeria in the fight against the insurgency, amongst other things. However, the same US authorities have refused to sell the necessary weapons to Nigeria, citing human rights abuses by the military. As long as Nigeria remains in the US’ ‘bad books,’ a lot more needs to accompany their words of support.
In what many believe to be the last visit of a major US official to Nigeria before the end of Barack Obama’s administration; John Kerry was in Nigeria on Tuesday to discuss US cooperation in the fight against insurgency, the anti-corruption drive and the overall economy. Matters arising from the one-hour meeting include how the US will help in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. According to reports, the US is now considering the sale of attack aircrafts to Nigeria, which is subject to review by Congress. “We have been working with them to make sure they can afford it, and they know how to use it,” a senior US official told Reuters.
The United States had a seemingly strained relationship with Nigeria during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. This is because the US refused to sell arms to the country, stating that it had enough evidence proving Nigerian soldiers fought insurgents without keeping to the rules of engagement. The military’s crimes include abusing, killing and raping innocent locals in those areas. The US sanction fell under the Leahy Law which prohibits the US Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units which violate human rights with impunity.
In June 2015, Buhari slammed the US for unintentionally “aiding and abetting Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes” as a result of “the blanket application of the Leahy law by the United States on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against our forces.” Despite these claims by the Nigerian President, an attempt by the US to lift the Leahy Law arms ban on Nigeria in August 2015 seems to not have succeeded.
Even now, it is not clear if the US will be lifting the arms sale ban any time soon. On Nigeria’s side, there are still some issues to be addressed. Last December, over 300 Shi’ites were reportedly killed and buried by the army. Also, in May this year, some unarmed protesters were shot and killed in Onitsha, Anambra State by security forces deployed to control a mob. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has commenced the process of investigating these human rights abuses by the Nigerian Military. All these are cited as reasons why the US may continue to refuse to lift its Leahy Law ban on Nigeria. If this isn’t resolved, any attempts to buy military weapons from the US will be met with strong opposition form the US Congress.
Although the Nigerian Military leadership is making strides to improve matters pertaining to human rights, there is still much to be done. Instead of President Buhari repudiating these serious claims and backing the Army for their wrong doings, there is need for the Nigerian government to conduct proper and independent investigations into these claims and ensure those found guilty are made to face the full wrath of the law. Until this is done, John Kerry’s words cannot be backed by physical support from the US government.
