Nigerian President Blasts US over Boko Haram Response

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari lashed out at the United States for refusing to provide his soldiers with weapons in their fight against Boko Haram militants.

Buhari said on Wednesday that Washington "aided and abetted" the Takfiri militants in his country by refusing to arm Nigerian forces over human rights concerns.

"Regrettably, the blanket application of the Leahy Law by the United States on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations leveled against our forces has denied us access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war," Buhari said, referring to an 18-year-old law, which prohibits the US Departments of State and Defense from providing military assistance to foreign military units on allegations of human rights violations.

He added that his country’s army did not possess "appropriate weapons and technology which we could have had if the so-called human rights violations had not been an obstacle".

Buhari called on the White House and the US Congress to supply Nigerian soldiers with high-tech weapons under a new deal "with minimal strings".

The remarks were made as the Nigerian leader addressed policymakers, activists, and academics at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC, two days after he met with US President Barack Obama.

In June, rights group Amnesty International released a 133-page report, holding the Nigerian army responsible for 1,200 extrajudicial executions, as well as the torture, or arbitrary detention of thousands others.

Buhari denied the allegations, saying the charges have not been proven.

Boko Haram militants, who have recently pledged allegiance to ISIL Takfiris, have killed about 15,000 people since they launched their militancy in 2009. Some 1.5 million people have also been displaced as a result of the violence.

Soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been battling Boko Haram terrorists in recent months.



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