Since the abduction of the Chibok girls two years ago, the US has offered military advice and intelligence to the Nigerian government to defeat the terrorists and to help rescue the girls. Over the last year, the Nigerian military has enjoyed significant success in reclaiming territory seized by Boko Haram but the sect has refused to be defeated.
Exasperated with the continued presence of the sect, President Obama is sending Ms Power to Nigeria for a two-day visit starting tomorrow. Ms Power had earlier visited Cameroon and Chad between April 16 and 20 to underscore the rising danger the insurgence poses to the Lake Chad Basin region.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Abuja said: “Boko Haram is one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world. It poses an acute threat to civilians across the Lake Chad Basin and the group’s increasing lethality and relationship with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are cause for alarm."
He noted with sadness the second anniversary of the kidnapping of the Chibok Girls, stressing the need to work with partners in the region to develop a comprehensive counter-Boko Haram effort. Among the measures the US wants to introduce include a more coordinated military campaign, improved humanitarian access and a well-resourced stabilisation and governance strategy.
Ms Power would engage with the Nigerian leadership and civil society in Abuja before travelling to the northeast to visit a settlement camp for civilians displaced by Boko Haram’s violence. Among other things, Ms Power will host a town-hall meeting with students and participate in a Peace Through Sports event with young Nigerians.
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