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The carnage in the North-East region of Nigeria has continued unabated. Two days ago, a bomb blast on a crowded bridge in the market town of Gamboru killed at least 30 persons. No group claimed responsibility for the bloodshed but everyone assumed it was perpetrated by the usual suspect, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the extremist breakaway faction of Boko Haram.
A fortnight ago, on Christmas Eve, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Gueterres, was urging action by Nigeria following series of executions and abductions of civilians. “Those responsible for recent executions and abductions in North-East Nigeria must be held accountable,” he said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. Media reports indicate the insurgents had carried out the attacks on Sunday, December 22, 2019, during an ambush of a humanitarian convoy just outside Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. It capped a string of similar atrocities that have come to assume a regular feature of the North-East.
The attack on humanitarian convoys, workers and their employees has assumed one of the most condemnable acts of the insurgents. Indeed, nine aid workers are on record as having been killed in 2019 alone. All over the world, the killing of an aid worker is considered abominable, for those are workers who brave danger and fear and stretch themselves to help people in areas of conflict, to assist those who need help. The UN Secretary-General expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims while recalling that attacks by a party in an armed conflict that target civilians and aid workers, and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. “Those responsible for those atrocities must be held accountable. International human rights law and international humanitarian law must be fully respected and all civilians in Nigeria must be protected.”
The Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Jose Canhandula, said he was horrified by the persistent reports of these atrocities, which, he said, took place along the Monguno-Maiduguri Road in Northern Borno State and on another road linking Yobe State. “It is urgent for the Nigerian authorities to do their utmost to prevent further violence and brutality and to protect civilian population, including aid workers from such grave violations of international laws, especially, to protect women and children who are among the most vulnerable when caught in the violence,” he said.
The lamentations and warnings of the UN officials are understandable, given the numerous instances of these attacks and the lack of adequate response. We are unsure that the leaders of Boko Haram themselves are aware that the abduction, mistreatment and killing of aid workers are prima facie war crimes and crimes against humanity. Even common sense ought to prevent every combatant from doing harm to an aid worker, knowing they are, sometimes, the difference between life and death for those caught in-between the hostilities of war. From all appearances, there is no record of Nigeria handing over captured Boko Haram leaders to the International Criminal Court for trial over their many atrocities against aid workers and civilians.
The persistence of abduction and execution of civilians and aid workers would mean that less aid would get to Nigerians in the embattled areas, thereby worsening the human misery and deepening the wounds of war. It would make the reconstruction effort more arduous, by keeping humanitarian organisations distant from the theatre and fearful of venturing close to the victims. We know that battle field reverses suffered by the Nigerian security forces means that less protection is available for civilians and aid workers. But the Nigerian military must realise that the aid workers make life more bearable for Nigerians caught in the war and that the objective of the Nigerian soldier and that of the aid worker ought to coincide.
ISWAP has become notorious for its atrocities since its founding and before last Christmas, it went into a blood-fest. Those atrocities would never lead it anywhere than destruction. It can never win the support of the local population.
Indeed, all the aid workers killed in the last two years were killed by ISWAP, which means that its leaders have also secured for themselves long terms of imprisonment in the jail of the International Criminal Court. On July 25, 2019, ISWAP claimed responsibility for the kidnap of six workers. The staff member of the Action Against Hunger and five others were taken and shown in a video in a degrading condition. They also called on the Nigerian government and the AAH to secure their release. We think that humanitarian workers should never be subjected to such degrading treatment and those who do must be held accountable.
