The United Kingdom is to more than double its deployment of British forces to Nigeria to help in the fight against the Islamist jihadi group Boko Haram.
The British forces will be not be involved in combat roles, only training and in an advisory role, said the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, on a visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday.
The UK is to increase a force of 125, sent to Nigeria six months ago, to 300. The reinforcements amount to a recognition of the failure so far to deal with Boko Haram at a regional level.
The US, which regards Boko Haram as closely linked to Islamic State, began deploying 300 troops to Cameroon in October. As well as operating in Nigeria, Boko Haram has been increasingly active in neighbouring countries such as Cameroon.
Washington opted to deploy in Cameroon rather than Nigeria because of concerns in Congress about the Nigerian army, including alleged human rights abuses.
“Boko Haram is a brutal organisation that has murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians. We stand united with Nigeria in its efforts to defeat them. Stepping up our training efforts will help support the armed forces of Nigeria for crucial counter-insurgency operations,” said Fallon.
The extra British forces will start being deployed early next year. Areas of training will include countering improvised explosive devices and providing medical assistance. An RAF team will help the Nigerian air force in counter-insurgency and protection of airfields. Training is already being provided in areas such as infantry skills.
Remarking, President Buhari disclosed how former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration sought to procure arms to fight Boko Haram by simply stuffing dollars in suitcases.
He, however, stated that his administration was taking urgent and appropriate actions to restore order, due process and probity to the procurement processes of the Armed Forces.
The President regretted that procurement of equipment for Nigeria’s Armed Forces, which followed due process in the past, became open to corruption and shady deals under the last administration.
“They just put foreign exchange in a briefcase and travelled to procure equipment for the military. That is why we have found ourselves in the crisis we are now facing,” he said.
Welcoming the offer by the British Government to assist Nigeria in defence procurements, intelligence gathering and training, Buhari restated his conviction that the international community must collaborate more and work with greater unity of purpose to overcome global terrorism.
“Terrorism has become very sophisticated now. If developed nations can be at- tacked, and hundreds of lives lost, how much more developing countries?
“In the West African sub-region, Nigeria is the main battleground of the Boko Haram insurgency. We have made a lot of progress against the terrorists, but we will welcome more assistance from our friends and the international community,” he said.
The United Kingdom has small forces of trainers and advisers with the Iraq army in and around Baghdad, with the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq, and in western Ukraine, and is about to send a team to Libya to scope out the feasibility of sending troops there.
