United States Seeks To Promote Peace And Security In Nigeria
The United States has sought to restore further cooperation on peace and security, global health security, expanding energy access, economic growth, and strengthening democracy in Nigeria.
The United States said it will partner with Nigeria based on shared values of democracy, respect for human rights, and robust people-to-people relations.
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of the United States said this in a press release on Thursday, Nov. 11.
He described the Northeast Nigeria conflict as one of the world’s most challenging and complex humanitarian crises, due to factors including difficult security conditions and high levels of food insecurity.
“The U.S. is focusing on building the capacity of civilian security actors, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and Nigerian Customs to address challenges such as banditry and kidnapping, counter-narcotics, cyber-crime, protecting intellectual property rights, and more effectively addressing trafficking in persons and gender-based violence,” the press release reads.
The secretary said the U.S. is the largest humanitarian donor in response to the crisis in Northeast Nigeria, providing more than $2.1 billion since 2015 and supporting two million conflict-affected households.
The U.S. said it will continue to support life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and food-insecure households with more than $364 million in funding in 2021.
Speaking on counterterrorism, he said the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism launched the U.S. funded Threat Assessment Models program in Nigeria in 2021.
He said the program seeks to address challenges by matching aviation security countermeasures to the current threats to civil aviation.
“It provides UN member states with technical assistance on national interagency coordination structures to enable the integration and analysis of timely and relevant terrorist threat inputs into aviation security risk management activities. Additionally, the U.S. funded the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)’s MIDAS program in Nigeria in 2021,” the press release reads.
Also, he said the United Nations aims to improve the capacity of Nigerian border management officials’ data use and operational border management through MIDAS, IOM.
Since 2017, the U.S. security assistance to Nigeria is approximately $650 million, in addition to $500 million in Foreign Military Sales. “Nigeria also has the largest International Military-Education and Training program in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
This year, the press release reads, the “United States delivered twelve A-29 Super Tucano aircraft purchased by Nigeria as part of the largest Foreign Military Sale in Sub-Saharan Africa, as part of a package that included human rights training and civilian protection measures.”
The press release also highlighted Nigeria’s continued active participation in military justice reform, mitigation of civilian casualties, and human rights training and also, commenced air-to-ground integration training in 2021.
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