United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday commended Nigerian authorities’ efforts to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram militants, reported Reuters.
Nigeria has been fighting Islamist group Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) for more than a decade, in a conflict that has killed thousands and forced millions to flee their homes. Their rebellion spread over the years to the neighboring West African countries of Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.
As part of efforts to end the conflict, the Nigerian government is reintegrating fighters who voluntarily surrender.
During a news conference, Guterres said the initiative is “the best thing we can do for peace.”
He also called out to the international community for funding to help Islamist extremism victims.
It was the UN chief’s first visit to Africa’s most populous country. He is currently on a tour to West Africa, to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Guterres also went to meet with former militants and internally displaced persons in a camp in Borno’s capital, Maiduguri, where the insurgency is centered.
“The best thing we can do for peace is to reintegrate those who in the moment of despair became terrorists but now want to … contribute to the well-being of their brothers and sisters,” the UN head said after meeting with former militants at a rehabilitation camp in Maiduguri.
In March, the Nigerian military said that at least 1,629 former fighters have graduated from the reintegration program so far.
In the final leg of his three-nation tour of West Africa, the UN chief called for donors worldwide to support humanitarian assistance in the northeast but added that, ultimately, people in camps wanted to return to their homes safely and with dignity.
On Monday, Guterres also paid a visit to Niger on Monday where he voiced strong concern over jihadi violence in the Sahel region.
