Nigeria Denies Reductions In American Aid Following Army Massacre

The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashiru denied the predictions that the United States would cut its military aid to his country following the killing last month of more than 200 people in the remote village of Baja, located in Borno in the northeast of Nigeria, by the army soldiers hunting Boko Haram, the group opposing the government’s policies.

Ashiru said in a press release on Saturday that, during his recent trip to Washington, he’d met with a number of American officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, without anyone mentioning reduced aid. He pointed out that Kerry stressed the importance of a supportive relationship with Nigeria through the Joint Commission.

The Nigerian minister’s press release came in response to a release attributed to the American ambassador in Abuja, Terrence McCauley, during his meeting with a number of supporters in human rights groups to discuss the effects of the massacre. Reports indicated that the American ambassador informed the supporters in the groups that the American laws do not approve giving military aid to countries whose armies are involved in human rights violations.

The American ambassador stressed the importance of holding accountable those responsible for the attack on the village that led also to the destruction of hundreds of homes and the displacement of thousands [of people]. He stressed at the same time the importance of observing international law and human rights by soldiers undertaking peacekeeping operations.

The organization Human Rights Watch – an organization concerned with human rights – stressed the perpetration of widespread violations and atrocities by the Nigerian army during its operations in the remote village. It demanded that the International Criminal Court investigate these atrocities. The organization’s report said that satellite images confirm the destruction of about 2,275 homes, noting that during its operations the army engaged in the destruction of homes more than it searched for insurgents.

The Nigerian government announced recently the formation of a committee to investigate the massacres and to bring those responsible to justice.