United States Secretary of State, John Forbes Kerry has implored the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Military currently engaging the Boko Haram Islamist sect in an all-out clampdown to respect the human rights of civilians in the area.
Speaking at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was his maiden official visit to sub-Saharan Africa since his 1st February 2013 appointment as Secretary of state, Kerry warned that the atrocity of a person or group does not excuse another’s.
“We defend the right completely of the government of Nigeria to defend itself and to fight back against terrorists,” he said. “That said, I have raised the issue of human rights with the government.”
Kerry, who since leaving Washington on Monday has been to Oman, Israel and Jordan, was billed to deliver an address at the evening session with African Heads of State but it was postponed to a dinner at the hotel afterwards, after earlier speakers overshot their time.
According to an official of the State Department, Kerry sat next to President Goodluck Jonathan at the dinner and took advantage of the opportunity to discuss the battles against terrorists and the overwhelming human rights concerns.
Earlier in the month, Kerry had released a statement pointing at credible allegations of gross human rights violations in the military clampdown. He returned these same fears on Saturday during a news conference with Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who had sought his opinion on reports of human rights violations in Nigeria.
“Boko Haram is a terrorist organization and they have killed wantonly and upset the normal governance of Nigeria in fundamental ways that are unacceptable,” Kerry said.
“And so we defend the right completely of the Government of Nigeria to defend itself and to fight back against terrorists.
“That said, I have raised the issue of human rights with the government, with the Foreign Minister. We have talked directly about the imperative of Nigerian troops adhering to the highest standards and not themselves engaging in atrocities or in human rights violations. That is critical. And the balance comes by having strong leadership — leadership from the civilian government, leadership that flows through the forces that are there.”
He acknowledged, though, that the Nigerian government has acknowledged some of the problems and is working to control them.
“It’s not easy; very complicated, and wide open spaces, very ungoverned, very, very difficult — very complex territory and terrain and very challenging enterprise,” he added.
“But always, we all of us try to hold the highest standards of behaviour. One person’s atrocity does not excuse another’s. And revenge is not the motive; it’s good governance, it’s ridding yourself of a terrorist organisation so that you can establish a standard of law that people can respect. And that’s what needs to happen in Nigeria.”
