Nigerian military hampering aid efforts

Aid agencies are struggling to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in north-eastern Nigeria due to the escalating insecurity and restrictions imposed by the military, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

“Nigerian authorities should ensure that aid agencies can deliver timely and effective help to people affected by the conflict”, HRW researcher Anietie Ewang said in a statement. 

“Undue restrictions are intensifying the suffering of vulnerable people in dire need of life-saving assistance”, she added. 

After ten years of insurgency by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, close to two million people in Nigeria have been displaced. 

HRW spoke to numerous aid agencies, some of which said military control over where and when they worked was putting their staff in danger. 

The aid workers feared they might not be viewed as independent from government, further endangering their lives. Last year 12 aid workers were killed and two others remain in captivity after being abducted. 

Photo: AFP