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.

Responding to a question on the time it took for the US to deploy some personnel to assist in rescuing the abducted girls, the Under Secretary explained that there had been no delay in the US partnership with Nigeria. She added that America had been strengthening and assisting the Nigeria Police Force to prosecute terror suspects.

She also stated that the US had been providing equipment for the military for sometime now.

On the coordination of the teams from various countries, the diplomat said that the US would be coordinating the joint efforts with the French and British teams to prevent unnecessary rivalry and duplications.

Asked whether the US had a post-Boko Haram plan to strengthen the capacities of Nigerian security agencies, the ambassador directed the question to the Federal Government, noting that the “US is just a partner and does not pretend to know it all.”

The diplomat stated that the American government could assist to rehabilitate the girls upon their release, adding that the US has many experts on rehabilitation for traumatised victims.

Sewall said, “The US is ready to assist the Nigerian government in any way it wishes. Some of the deployed personnel have expertise in different fields and some US partners could also help in rehabilitating the girls. There are expertise on helping victims that have been traumatised and many US partners will be glad to help the girls.”