Chibok girls: US involvement not combative, says Envoy The United States Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Ambassador Sarah Sewall, has clarified the level of involvement of American personnel in the rescue of the abducted girls. She said the intervention would not be combative. Sewall in an interview with select journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, stated that it was up to Nigeria to accept or reject the prisoners exchange offer made by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, on Monday. The diplomat, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time, explained that the US would assist Nigeria in any form to tackle the Boko Haram sect, which she said had committed brutal crimes against the country. The American government, she added, had deployed 25 personnel from the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Defence in Nigeria to assist in the rescue efforts. She said, “At this point in time, the US is not contemplating an active combat role in any respect, we are here purely as advisers in support of the Nigerian government. But of course, we are strong partners in the broader fight against terrorism in which Nigeria is engaged and we have sat through our military-military relationship to strengthen Nigerian ability to confront Boko Haram in its scourge within the country and so that remains unchanged.” Sewall, a mother of four, said she was affected by the abduction of the girls in ways that united her with the pains being felt by the parents of the Chibok girls. According to her, many concerned countries are seeking ways to deepen cooperation and seek a regional approach to the problem of terrorism in Nigeria, noting that many avenues of combating the scourge would be pursued in the coming days. She stated that there was an intense diplomatic engagement at this point, adding that the security summit for Africa being mooted by France, was one of the avenues being explored to address terrorism in the country. “Not only the US, but many countries are seeking a regional approach to solve this problem. France is planning a security summit on Africa and this would be one of the avenues to combat terrorism in Nigeria and the region,” Sewall stated.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 10:37:26 +0000
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