Martin Griffiths, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, says insurgents are still ravaging the north-east.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Griffiths said the situation is still a “grave, clear and present danger”.
Earlier in the week, a video was released by SITE Intelligence Group — a jihadist monitoring organisation, which showed young militants around 12 years old shooting two men dressed in Nigeria military uniforms. The video also showed many young fighters receiving military training.
On Thursday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had said a total of 863 persons, including insurgents and their family members, surrendered in the last two weeks.
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But Griffiths said that the terrorist groups — Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province are still “very very dangerous and very threatening”.
According to him, the north-east needs not less than $1 billion in humanitarian support, saying that the funds are needed to provide food and health care for the millions of people displaced and those who remain in their homes but are vulnerable to attacks.
“This is a very different kind of operation and very difficult also to deter … a grave, clear and present danger, obviously, to the people and a priority for the government. The world needs to remember this is a tragedy that needs to be sorted out,” Griffiths said.
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He stated that it would take more than a military approach to defeat terrorism in the region because Nigeria’s fight against extremists “can’t be won on the battlefield,” adding that there is need for more community development efforts.
“You win civil wars in the minds of the people who live there. If you don’t have the communities on your side, it doesn’t really matter how much else you’ve got on your side. You won’t make peace.”
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