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Foreign Minister Steinmeier: Germany will support Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement in light of the recent brutal attacks in Nigeria:
We condemn the acts of terror committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria in the strongest possible terms.
I have conveyed my deepest sympathy to my Nigerian colleague and those who have lost loved ones, as well as to the families of the abducted girls.
We want to work together to combat the Islamist terrorism which is taking such a terrible toll on Nigeria. I have expressly reassured Nigeria’s Foreign Minister that Germany will support his country in the fight against Boko Haram.
We plan to intensify our cooperation in the police and security sectors. We plan to set up projects to support the families affected and the kidnapped girls’ villages. We also want to help with conflict prevention.
We will discuss the concrete details when the German-Nigerian Binational Commission meets in a few weeks.
Foreign Minister Steinmeier spoke to Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Aminu Wali on the phone on 4 June.
The German-Nigerian Binational Commission will convene in Abuja, Nigeria on 10 July.
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Background information:
Since the beginning of 2014 there has been a marked increase in attacks carried out by the terrorist group Boko Haram. After claiming responsibility for two car bombs in Abuja, the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram also declared that it had kidnapped more than 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria. The group took the children to an unknown location on 14 April 2014 and have threatened to sell them.
Many Nigerians have fled the region, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
