UK To Support Nigeria In Fight Against Insurgency

The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab disclosed that the British is ready to pledge £12.6m to support Nigeria and other countries fighting against Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.

This was made known on Monday 28 June 2021 during a presentation at a meeting of foreign ministers from more than 45 countries in Rome, Italy.

According to Raab, the budget is part of the new UK funding to fight the growing threat of terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa.

He noted that the fund will also be used to combat Daesh and its affiliate terrorist groups, including emerging threats across the African continent.

Raab said: “The UK is funding a new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme for the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, where Daesh’s affiliate, known as Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), is responsible for significant violence.

“This will support regional military efforts to counter Daesh and other groups, as well as efforts to safely demobilize suspected low-level members of terrorist groups.

“Two years since Daesh’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, the threat of Daesh and its hateful ideology has not gone away. Worryingly it continues to grow in Africa which is why we must work with our Coalition partners to fight its poisonous propaganda on all fronts.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our African partners to tackle the growing threat from Daesh-linked groups across Africa, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin.”

He noted that the UK is ready to tackle insurgency and the longer-term drivers of terrorism, both in the Middle East and in areas of Africa where attacks from Daesh-linked groups have been growing.

Raab added that the UK is committed to burden-sharing with its security allies, and to serve as a “force for good in the world”.