Boko Haram Checkpoints Have Increased In North-East – UN

January 17, 2020

The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern about the activities of Boko Haram terrorist at various checkpoints in the North-East.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said on Thursday that with the development, the people in the region and aid workers there are more exposed to attacks by the terrorists.

Kallon stated, “I am extremely worried by the increasingly insecure environment that humanitarians are working in to provide urgent and vital assistance to civilians affected by the crisis

“The humanitarian community is troubled by the increased trend in vehicular checkpoints set up by non-state armed groups along main supply routes in the states of Borno and Yobe.

“These checkpoints expose civilians and humanitarians to heightened risks of being killed or abducted,” he disclosed in a statement.

The UN envoy also condemned the spate of attacks on aid workers providing support to victims of insurgency in the region.

Kallon claimed that a total of 12 humanitarian workers were killed last year, stressing that the figure doubled the number recorded in 2018.

He blamed the killings on the environment in which aid workers carry out their duties, insisting that the level of insecurity in the region has been on the rise.

Kallon, therefore, called on the Nigerian Government and all relevant agencies to protect the residents and aid workers from “grave violations” of international laws.

The UN envoy maintained that aid workers and the assistance they provide to the most vulnerable populations make the difference between life and death for entire communities in crisis-affected Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.