President
Donald Trump has assisted Nigeria with military weapons to help the
Nigerian troops in the ongoing 8-year battle against the Boko Haram sect
in the north-east.
President Donald Trump
Nigeria has got the green light to acquire some American attack
planes to fight Boko Haram, officials of the Trump administration have
said.
The deal, which is about $600 million, will strengthen Nigeria’s
fire power against Boko Haram and other extremists, AP reported.
The approval is despite U.S. concerns about human rights abuses by
Nigerian security forces. The military has denied such abuses, which
have been a subject of big rows with Amnesty International.
Specifically, Nigeria plans to buy up to 12 Embraer A-29 Super
Tucano aircraft from Colorado-based Sierra Nevada Corp, according to
officials who were briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the development
publicly. The aircraft come with sophisticated targeting equipment that
the U.S says will help Nigeria fight terrorism, trafficking, insurgency
and illicit trade.
In his final days in office, former President Barack Obama put the
sale on hold after a Nigerian fighter jet repeatedly bombed a camp near
the Cameroon border housing civilians who had fled Boko Haram. Local
officials have said more than 230 people were killed. The incident
brought new attention to alleged abuses by Nigeria’s forces.
A few weeks later, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump said he
supported the sale. He told President Muhammadu Buhari that it would
increase American exports and help Nigeria fight terrorists, according
to officials.
The move is Trump’s latest to arm countries despite their
questionable rights records, a report said. On his first trip abroad as
president, Trump announced a $110 billion sale of military equipment to
Saudi Arabia, including precision-guided munitions that Obama had cut
off over concerns about high rates of civilian casualties in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is at war with Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen.
Despite approving the sale to Nigeria, the U.S. is keeping up the
pressure on Buhari administration to improve its forces’ human rights
practices and ensure accountability for violators, a U.S. official said.
The aim of the sale is to help Nigeria and its neighbours strengthen
their ability to fight Boko Haram and an Islamic State group affiliate
in West Africa. Other countries in the region fighting similar threats
already have the Super Tucano, the official noted.
Embraer A-29 Super Tucano
ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT
The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, also named ALX or A-29, is a
turboprop light attack aircraft designed for counter-insurgency, close
air support, and aerial reconnaissance missions in low-threat
environments, as well as providing pilot training. Its features include
Top speed: 593 km/h,Range: 4,820 km, Cruise speed: 520 km/h, Engine
type: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6, Manufacturer: Embraer
The State Department notified Congress late Wednesday of its plans
to approve the sale. That triggered a 30-day review period in which
lawmakers can try to block the sale. While several Democrats in
particular have raised concerns, Congress is unlikely to stop the
administration from proceeding.
John Campbell, a Nigeria scholar at the Council on Foreign
Relations said concerns had receded somewhat as Nigeria has taken steps
to address shortcomings, including granting the International Committee
of the Red Cross access to some Nigerian detention facilities.
“There are signs of some progress,” Campbell said. Still, he said Nigeria had a “long way to go.”
If the sale goes forward, the U.S. will have to send employees or
contractors to Nigeria to provide logistical support and train teams on
how to use the aircraft. They also would provide guidance on
international laws for protecting civilians, officials said.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been accused of bombing civilian
targets several times in recent years. The State Department said in
report last year that the Nigerian government has taken “few steps to
investigate or prosecute officials who committed violations, whether in
the security forces or elsewhere in the government, and impunity
remained widespread at all levels of government”.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest consumer market, with 170 million
people, and the continent’s second-largest oil producer. It is
strategically located on the edge of the Sahel, the largely lawless
semi-desert region bridging north and sub-Saharan Africa where experts
warn of Islamic extremists expanding their reach.
More than 20,000 have been killed and about 3 million displaced in
Boko Haram’s insurgency since 2009, in which the extremist group has
sought to enforce strict Islamic rule.
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