Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2015
31. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to recent Boko Haram attacks in northern Nigeria; that death tolls vary from hundreds to 2,000; and his views regarding the violent spread of Boko Haram throughout the region. [2642/15]
View answerI utterly condemn the outrageous acts of violence being perpetrated by the terrorist group Boko Haram. These include the recent killing of a large number of civilians in an attack by militants in the north-eastern state of Borno in Nigeria and the kidnappings in recent days in Cameroon. I am appalled by reports of the use of innocent young children to carry primed explosives. I have previously also condemned the abduction of more than 200 young girls from a school in the Nigerian town of Chibok last April.
The spread of the insurgency into Nigeria’s neighbouring countries is deeply worrying. At the fifth Nigeria-EU Ministerial Dialogue held in Abuja on 27 November 2014, both the EU and Nigeria expressed concern that the violence of Boko Haram was also affecting the wider region, including through refugee movements across borders, so that the livelihoods of several million people throughout the region are under threat. In this context, I welcome the recently enhanced regional collaboration between Nigeria and its neighbours, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, including a regional security conference held in Niamey, Niger, earlier this week.
While the overall security situation in Nigeria is complex and involves a diverse range of actors, Boko Haram is undoubtedly a very serious threat to political stability in the country and the region. It is the responsibility of the Nigerian Government, as well as of its military authorities, to create a secure environment in which civilians and their human rights are protected. The EU is committed to supporting ongoing security cooperation at country and regional level as well as to strengthening international efforts to combat Boko Haram and protecting innocent local communities.
