Dr. Sanders:Imperatives of Building Strong Africa Democracies & Spurring Economic Development

"Frameworks in the New African Security Context"

June 12, 2015 Keynote Speech

By

Ambassador (Dr.) Robin Renee Sanders

CEO-FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative

19^th Wole Soyinka Annual Lecture

Greenbelt Marriott, 3700 Ivy Lane, Greenbelt Maryland 20770

It is said that every decade or so our world creates a new global order – as generations shift, leaders transform, visions change, and creativity and innovation force us all to live our lives better, longer, differently and certainly with more challenges. Today, more than ever, we need to address security challenges, abject poverty and the lack of development -- protecting in the course of these efforts, basic civil and human rights.

So today I want you to think like a leader in the 21st Century – think about both the challenges around the world, and development issues – both in my view are strategic issues -- needing more innovative thought, better strategic communications, and more partnerships as we move forward in the 21^st Century.

This is a tall order, therefore since I am primarily before a Nigerian audience today, let's narrows this down to the practical – looking at both Africa and Nigeria. Africa's security and development landscape is much, much different than it was 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even last year, and so is Nigeria's. I consider both these key components -- security and economic development -- fluid, needing our evermore robust, innovative efforts, action, and creative thinking.

Imperatives to addressing Security & Economic Development

So what are the imperatives? How and what does one focus on to have strong economic development in these challenging, fluid and sometimes very difficult times? African countries from Nigeria-to-Kenya-Tunisa-Libya-to-Mozambique, or better said from -- Maiduguri-to-Mombasa-Midoun (Tunisia)-Misrata (Libya)-to-Maputo --  and in between, are all grappling with these core pillars of today's policy challenges. The foundation we all recognize is good governance and addressing the needs and concerns of the people in a society, in a community. When neither of those is met, they set in motion, in many respects (not all), the security challenges we see today.

Factors Affecting Security

Let's take factors affecting security first and what might be driving the challenges we see today and then apply these to Nigeria and the Continent.

In my view, many of today's security challenges are all wrap-up in global demographics:

What do I mean by demographics – as my definition of demographics is an expansive on. I mean, everything that impacts outcomes and geo-political relationships – from economic disparity to population sizes and breakdowns by age and gender; world resource locations (where is the oil, timber, jobs, lack of jobs, etc., where are land and water resources; what role religious differences or groups might impact community or world views, or affect perceptions. In essence, what are the human, community, or country cultural differences of which you need to be aware which might be impacting security today.

Some examples

Let's look at some examples of broad demographic categories and then drill down from there.

-- What regions of the world have the most arable land and available water resources? Answer: Africa and Latin America.

-- Where is the most economic income disparity today (despite our own economic challenges in the US)? They are in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with South Africa leading the way as the country with the world’s greatest inequitable income distribution.

-- What regions of the world have the largest growing youth and gender demographics? Africa, tops the list (in fact it is called the youth bulge on the Continent as you know), followed by Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia (with Japan being an exception with an aging population, and China having both a large young and old population).

-- On women, if the numbers of women in the world made up a single nation, that nation would be the third largest in the world behind China, and India.xii   The Nigerian female/girl population is about 74 million.

-- Poverty, food security, corruption, lack of good governance, lack education and employment opportunities are also top of the list for Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. What are the demographic figures in your country, in your community? If you don't know them you should, you need to in order to effect change as a 21^st Century leader, or organization focused on well-being and giving back.

-- 43 percent of the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 per day, and in most of Africa it is less than $1.00 a day. In Nigeria it is $1.25 (about naira 290). Keeping in mind this means – in search of $1.25, not a guaranteed $1.25 per day. Sixty percent of your population face this every single day.

-- By 2020 1 million more people in the world will be pushed into poverty on top of the current 3 billion (source: CCTV  2014, Terryane Chabet report)i; globally 22,000 children die each day due to poverty; 1.1 billion children in the developing world don’t have access to clean water; and 75 per cent of the world’s wealth is in the hands of 20% of the world’s population. 

-- All of these demographics are important because they do affect geo-political and economic relationships, and world views which can be very different from our own.

If I am saying that demographics are strategic issues – and that is what I am saying -- then what are the specifics for Nigeria? What are the demographic issues that you need to be focused on that are and can further feed into the security, development and economic challenges your nation faces today?

Here are a few to put things into perspective.

-- Let's start with your population of roughly 172 million people – the 7^th largest in the world - being both a positive and a challenge for the nation. It is a demographic which is both fluid and requires innovative thinking to meet the economic, social and quality of life needs. 

-- Unemployed youth & the youth bulge (10-35 years, will represent the bulk of your population over the next 5 decades) are next on the list. Do you know what this exact figure is for Nigeria in terms of numbers?

-- Currently it is estimated that you have 74+million young people in this particular demographic and growing. These are young people in search of their future with no current prospects.

-- Economic inequality follows. Even for those who find "underemployment opportunities," in general, the income inequality is great, not just in Nigeria, but as noted above South Africa holds the world's high stat on this issue. To further highlight in the global context, according to Farid Zakaria CNN-GPS 2014 broadcast, 18 people in the world have as much money collectively as 3.5 billion folks.

Think about that! So income inequality is another strategic demographic category to which you as a 21^st Century leader/organization will need to pay attention. 

A few other factoids for you:

-- Where does Nigeria fall on the gap between rich and poor – 44 out of 86 rated -- actually one notch above the U.S. -- on easier understood Palma Ratio which measures this and has a slightly difference focus than the Gini coefficient which heavily weights middle come in its ratios.

-- You only have 17 million Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs), and in a population the size of yours that is not enough to grow your middle class, which is reportedly around 30 million today. iii

-- Nigeria has the highest rate in the world of school age children out of school at 10 million. A key stat given that 44 percent of your population is also 15 years old or younger, and 39 percent of adults cannot read or write.

Thus, these are both economic issues and security issues rolled into one supra-paradigm for the country. So the questions for this lecture are what to do, what does Africa do; what does Nigeria do? These are the imperatives that have to be addressed in order to counterbalance the escalating challenges caused by groups (e.g. Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, ISIL) which counter world goals using tools of extremism and terrorism to achieve them.

First let me say you are off to a good renewal. For Nigeria, you have  begun your initial move into a new "league of democratic nations," with the success of your March elections and the peaceful transition of power in May, as good governance, as I noted earlier, is the baseline from which to build and move forward. 

President Buhari has set out, in what I am calling, "The Buhari Doctrine," what his vision will look like. He has already begun efforts on security:

1.) Meeting June 11 with military chiefs of Nigeria's neighbors on Boko Haram (BH);

2.) Moving Nigerian Security Operations HQ  to Maiduguri;

3.) Supporting a Command Center in Chad, although Command and Control will be under the Nigerian Army;

4.) Recommitting $100 million pledged by former president Jonathan to the BH fight;

5.) Making his first foreign visit, after being inaugurated, to Niamey; and, also thanking Niger, Chad, and Cameroon in his inaugural speech.

He also made education, agriculture/food security, improving energy and health systems, and assisting IDP's as top priority development issues with fighting corruption being "pivotal-center" of his Administration. So there seems to be a chance now to contain Boko Haram. However, I also think that it is important to remember that Boko Haram is just as committed to its objectives and goals, and success might have to be measure in terms of containment and sustainability of recaptured territory.

Despite what I have laid out on the economic and social end, none of which is new, but which sounds awfully scary and insurmountable, there are positive things to build upon and to help and support the new President. Let's recap those positives. Nigeria is:

-- Africa’s largest economy at $510billion – making it the 24^th largest  economy in the world ahead of such countries as Belgium and Taiwan;

-- Only nation having 100+ mobile phone (important tools for business and education innovation);

-- One of the Premier African foreign investment destinations;   

-- New economic development sectors such as information systems and technology, continued growth of SMEs, and trading have all helped spur Nigeria to where it is today.

What to Do? What Can You Do?

Development, or lack of development, better said, are probably your biggest challenges, as noted above, feeding your security challenges. But, I would also argue that there are other things at play – intangibles that are hard to address such as a "clash of civilizations," on how groups like Boko Haram see the world. Our counter will be to make the current global context better with a focus on:

-- Poverty Solutions - combating poverty and its elements (hunger, climate smart food security, education), particularly for at-risk groups such as women, girls, youth, the disabled, and elderly; 

-- Use Information Technology to develop “work around solutions” to advance social change entrepreneurial and vocational opportunities as well as financial literacy;

-- Assist with smart climate/energy (renewables) to bring electricity/power to the nearly 120 million Nigerians without it today;

-- Help with the housing deficit. At present Nigeria has a 17+million affordable housing deficit xiv (if you are poor you are also likely not to have good shelters or shelter at all); 

--See infrastructure as a development issues as without adequate roads, rails, and water transport systems housing, business, and farming will all struggle; 

-- Work with the new Nigerian government to help improve transparency, anti-corruption efforts, and the capacity of government institutions to respond and support the needs of the people;

-- Be creative on education (include vocational and entrepreneurial, and help train and expand the number of SMEs and MMEs (companies with less than 5 people).

-- Assist, if this is within your expertise, with improving your country's health care system;

-- Participate in philanthropic efforts with the nearly 2 million internally displaced (IDP's) Nigerians affected by the Northeast conflict, and those 20 million Nigerian refugees in the 3-neighboring countries;

-- Keep in mind that Africans and Asian make up the majority of the 63 percent of world migrants today;

The majority of the above points are not just Nigeria's challenges but also for the Continent. Indeed, everything that impacts people’s lives and their social, political, and economic well-being, are for me, strategic-demographics-development issues for Africa’s and its burgeoning population.

These issues are even more important today as they are affecting those in their prime education, prime wage earning years (18-40yrs), and Africa’s youth bulge (10-35yrs) -- or nearly 600 million young people on the Continent.

Turning from Nigeria to the Continent, here are some additional back story strategic demographics to further provide perspective on just how critical these development issues are on from a Continental perspective, here are the other relevant figures in the back-story, to highlight what I was just talking about for Nigeria. For the Continent:

Challenges:

-- 75 million – current number of young Africans looking for work now, out of the 1.2 billion working age population world-wide looking for work;
 -- 10 million – number of young Africans of working age added yearly to the 75 million already seeking jobs/employment according to the African Union (Political Body of African States);
 -- 547 million – number of Africans living without electricity and energy;
 -- 227 million - number of hungry people every day who live on the African Continent;
-- 3 per cent – number of African adults with credit cards; only a quarter of young African adults have accounts at formal financial institutions -- meaning the majority of Africans are still not connected in any way to the global formal financial system.

This being said, again all the news isn't bad for the Continent either, just like it is not all bad news for Nigeria.

Here are "The Positives:"  
 -- 7 out of the 10 fastest growing economics in the world are in Africa;

-- 31 of the top 1000 Banks in the World on the “This Is Africa,” list are African Banks;

-- 39 African countries are democracies or evolving democracies, using AGOA guidelines, out of the 48 countries in the Sub-Saharan Region;

-- 90 million people in the middle (or consumer) class, largest number the region has ever had, up by 31 million in last 10 years;

 -- 18 countries have GDP’s of 5 per cent or higher.

I have pointed out both the challenges and the positives because, as the global landscape continues to change rapidly, we need to ensure that the next generation of young Africans, young Nigerians sees, feels, and believes there are opportunities for themselves and their families. 

My Message for Today -- Lean Forward!

Remember to Lean Forward! As a Diaspora Group and take a look at the possibilities of what you can do as an organization, as an individual. There are a number of economic development areas I noted above where you can help turn the tide.

1.) Think about building more relations based on partnerships (country-to-country, community-to-community, people-to-people); and;

2.) Think about philanthropic contributions. Although improving, Africans fall behind in this area more than many other world regions.

3.) Think about the strategic long term to changes these development demographics, improve them -- or in the case of population – help to build societies, communities where young people, young Africans feel: embraced, enfranchised, and most importantly empowered.

A FEEEDS Blogpost

Endnotes:

---

[i] 9/19/14 CCTV TV live newscast, Miriam Kalma reporting
[ii] CCTV 9/19/14 live TV newscast Africa Live Report
[iii] UN Week 2014, McKinsey Session on Nigeria, Remarks by Director Richard Dobbs, New York Palace Hotel, N.Y.
[iv] U.S. Small Business Regional III Advocate Official Speech, July 10, 2014, Gallup Headquarters, Washington, D.C. at the FEEEDS-Gallup-Allafrica.com US-Africa Summit Forum
[v]  2012 speech, Commandant Eisenhower Resources College, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. on occasion of ICAF College name change
[vi]   Nigeria's Palma Ranking
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/09/27/map-how-the-worlds-countries-compare-on-income-inequality-the-u-s-ranks-below-nigeria/
[vii]  Palma Ratio
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/09/27/map-how-the-worlds-countries-compare-on-income-inequality-the-u-s-ranks-below-nigeria/
[viii] www.statisticbrain.com human development report
[ix] http://www.aworldatschool.org/country/nigeria
[x] Nigeria current GDP at $510b  http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21600734-revised-figures-show-nigeria-africas-largest-economy-step-change
[xi] Number of Nigerians without electricity http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Not-Darkest-Africa-but-Darkest-Nigeria-120-Million-Without-Electricity.html
[xii] NB: Libyan port city from which many migrants are departing Zuwara
[xiii] Speech by former Nigerian Finance Minister & former VP World Bank Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Woodrow Wilson Center, February 2012
[xiv] 8/2014, Former Nigerian President Jonathan's "Housing Stakeholders Meeting"; Nigeria Former Housing Minister "Housing Stakeholders Conference," 11/2014
[xv] 6/2015 Human Rights Watch Annual Global Summit, Chicago, Drake Hotel, panel "World Migrant Issues."

 

Dr. Sanders on CCTV Discussing Ebola Links to Food Security & Lessons Learned

A FEEEDS BlogSpot

Ambassador Sanders on CCTV (China Cable Television) discusses current Ebola crisis and next steps that need to be addressed and focused on to stop the spread in the U.S. and West Africa. Sanders served as U.S. Ambassador in the Republic of Congo during its  three Ebola outbreaks and notes lessons learned.

 She stresses that in addition to the epidemiology issues, it is important for international agencies also to look simultaneously at food security issues as in he past Ebola is linked to a species jump from a carrier animal to human usually through consumption of a carrier animal :

 http://www.cctv-america.com/category/the-heat

Amb. Sanders June 11, 2014 U.S. Congress Testimony on Nigeria's Boko Haram Crisis & Chibook

Chairman Smith with
Ambassador Sanders
Following June 11, 2014
Hearing on Boko Haram

(Full Testimony Below)

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Bass, and Members of the Subcommittee, I want to thank you for inviting me here today to testify before you. I just returned from Nigeria and was in country when the international community became more aware of the horrible kidnapping of 247 girls by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014. 

Honorable Members you have asked the panel today to discuss the ongoing crisis in Nigeria and there are several components to this issue, however, my remarks will be based on:

1.) My knowledge of the region, as I have been in every state in Nigeria, including travelling by road from Abuja through what is now Boko Haram’s current expanded territory of operation at least 4 times during my tenure there.

2.) I have been north of Maiduguri also by road in some of the most desolate areas of the world I have been in,  and I have served in Sudan by comparison;

3.) What I know of Boko Haram before and since its vicious resurgence, noting that it has been in existence since the late 1990s; and,

4.) My conversations and first hand observations while on my recent trip to Nigeria.  

With that backdrop, I will address what I understand are the Committees principal concerns for holding this hearing today:

      1.) The Security Environment and Boko Haram, and areas of possible additional assistance;

       2.) Why Boko Haram was not initially considered a Foreign Terrorist Organization, FTO; and then;

      3.) Address what I am hearing from my contacts on Chibook/Chibok, and concerns there.

The Nigerian Security Services in the Face of Boko Haram:

Current Nigerian security services have never experienced anything like what they are facing with Boko Haram today. They need to understand that Boko Haram is unlike the Niger Delta conflict and they need to toss out that play book as regards to this conflict. Boko Haram is executing asymmetrical warfare, and for the most part this is outside of the framework of the security forces and their capability to effectively respond. The Nigerian troops that have been in recent conflicts in northern Mali, including the initial Nigerian Force Commander, and those troops who served in Darfur probably are the few that have had the closest experience in asymmetrical warfare;

--Thus, the existing challenges in some of the security structures are more evident now as they are finding it difficult to cope with the threat.  It is good that Nigeria has accepted international assistance to begin to address some of these structural challenges and gaps in capability. From my time on the ground, they have always had challenges in the following areas:

--Airlift - Airlift is key to troop rotation as I heard reports of PTSD while I was there; it is important because of the distances and tough road travel in the Northeast; and it is important because it will help them react faster to the changing situation on the ground as they try to cover more than 60,000 square miles of territory about the size of Georgia or Wisconsin. 

--Additional materiel, especially mobile communication equipment, vehicles, technology-based bomb detection equipment (what saw in many places was rudimentary at best); and, improved control over its porous borders;

--Improved military planning, logistics, equipment, and supplies, including sufficient spare parts, and fuel);

--Expand its small special forces unit, and its 24/7 counter terrorism (CT) center (both began to be stood up while I was there);

--Establishing a satellite CT center closer to the Northeast region so information doesn’t take so long to react to or be analyzed;

--More Rapid Response Forces or what we call mobile units, and probably more outposts;

-- Security Service personnel and resources are both stretched thin, Realignment is needed to better address the current threat;

-- Improvement in strategic communications and review of existing strategic communications approaches, because what they have now is not working internally or externally with affected communities, particularly with the families of the missing girls.

-- I would suggest a liaison committee led by someone respected for their human rights values that engages with the families and keeps them informed. Not someone who is a press spokesperson, but someone who is an advocate, and can avoid the Malaysia flight MH370 fiasco with the families.

I lectured as a Visiting Scholar last year at Nigeria’s Defense College and talked about the must-do things the security forces needed to do to build better relations and respond more quickly to the affected communities.

I traveled through Kano last month by road on my way to visit an agricultural project I am involved with in the Northwest. There were checkpoints all along the way, anywhere from 30-to-50 kilometers apart. I did not see the ability to communicate between most checkpoints. I understand that in the Northeast this is more acute as distances between some checkpoints are greater, adding to what we already know:  That information is not reacted to in timely or effective manner. 
I am not excusing the poor responses and reaction to date. I am just providing recommendations from a strategic perspective of things that can be and need to be addressed right now as I would hope the assistance packages for Nigeria are including.
 
The Long War, The Long Conflict:

Nigeria is at the beginning of a long war or long conflict, and they have to realize this. This is no longer a localized conflict or insurgency. There is no easy fix and every attack in response to Boko Haram cannot be viewed a death knell blow to it – a long range security framework to this terrorist threats is what is needed. The security services need to regroup, re-approach, and re-address in order to begin to get off their heels on the defensive and get on an aggressive offense.  This has not happened yet, and Boko Haram has not only succeeded in terrorizing 60,000 square miles of territory, but also as evident with the late April 2014 attacks, they have the ability to reach locations just 15 kilometers outside of Abuja, either with sleepers cells or with bombs getting past checkpoints. 

Right now the security services are out gunned, and out strategically played. One thing I also want to put into the mix on which I am not sure there has been much focus is the language differences. Most of the security forces in the Northeast are Hausa-speaking, while the majority of the village population in Borno are Kanuri speakers. Just like the US military had to ramp up on its Arabic speakers for Iraqi, the Nigerian military will need to increase its Kanuri speakers in order to more effectively engage with the local population there.

I mention this as part of the overall issue of addressing and reframing of strategic communication and outreach to the villages.
 
My next comment will be an unpopular thing to hear for many, but there are people and elements in the Nigerian military that are committed and serious, but they are under-supported and need resources. This does not dilute the issues of the very real challenges for the security forces and reports in the past of corruption and failure to respond. That being said, I had several rank and file security service members come up to me on this last trip to say: “Madame you know some of us, you know we are not all bad, we do our jobs for our country. Tell people this Madame; I said I would.” 

I highlight this to underscore who is going to fight this war, this conflict if it is not the Nigerian security forces, along with assistance from the international community. They are the vanguard of this conflict, so we need to help them pull up their boots straps as an institution to address any challenges they might have to get it together because if the entire security structure becomes demoralized who is going to fight this conflict.
 
There have already reportedly been 1-2 incidents where military units allegedly have shown their frustration by shooting at commanders’ convoys – one report happen while I was still in Nigeria.

Relationship with Neighboring Intelligent Services:

Nigeria’s neighbors and human intelligence from villagers in Nigeria and neighboring countries will be critical elements of fighting this war, this conflict. There has to be better control of the porous borders and cooperation; P-3 surveillance planes can assist with this, but in the end on-ground human intelligence (or humint) is going to be key. Despite the May 2014 Paris conference with Nigeria and its neighbors, a trust issue remains among them on sharing intelligence.  So we need to help build trust among those services as well.

Food Security:

Boko Haram has been so brutal that several villages and markets have just disappeared, which means food is becoming scare as planting and commerce has ceased. The international community needs to keep an eye on the food security situation as food shortages could become an issue down the line.

Designation of Boko Haram as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO):   

The other question I understood the Committee is interested in is why Boko Haram was not named earlier as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). As I said earlier, Boko Haram has been around since the late 1990s, and was more commonly referred to before (in its earlier form) as the Nigerian Taliban. Prior to the last four years it executed localized sabotage, attacked police stations, and recruited young people into the group, but no kidnapping. Evidence of some Boko Haram contacts with AQIM started to surface about 9 months after (early 2010) the extrajudicial killing of its then-leader Muhammad Yusef and his key lieutenant Al Haji Buji Foi in July 2009; this was shared with the then-government.

I was in Nigeria when Yusuf was captured and killed almost before the cameras by the Nigerian Police. From early 2010 until August 2011, almost a full year there was a lull with some small acts, and again localized. The morphing of Boko Haram to using Al-Qaeda or AQIM-like tactics to achieve the goal of establishing an Islamic Extremist Caliphate began really surfacing in mid-2011 with the bombing of the UNHeadquarters in Abuja in August 2011, and since then Boko Haram has continually gotten more expansive in both its reach, and brutality from 2012-2014.

I will expect disagreements on this, but earlier than August 2011 before it bombed the UN Headquarters in Abuja, Boko Haram, in my view, would not have met the third leg of the cited FTO definition in the law:

1. It must be a foreign organization;

2. It must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in several sections off the Immigration and Nationality and Foreign Relations Authorization Acts (Sections 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. §1182(a) (3)(B), or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d) (2), or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism); and,

3. Its terrorists activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.

The Abuja UN Headquarters bombing showed the: reach; capability, brutality, of Boko Haram and its use of Al-Qaeda inspired tactics; underscoring that all nationals were at risk. The UN HQ is right around the corner from the US Embassy, and when I was there I could see the building from my office window.  

Chibook/Chibok:

First my heart goes out to the families and the missing girls wherever they might be as I know they are suffering, scared, and afraid. In Paris Monday there was a Global Conference onWomen, and one of the things said there regarding the Chibook girls is that this tragedy is the epitome in dehumanization that girls do not have the right to control their own fate; their education and who they might choose to marry.
Despite reports out of Nigeria, I do not think that most/most of the girls have been in Nigeria for a long time. We have no idea how long the videos being shown were taken. And, these terrorists groups learn from each other, and Boko Haram is nothing but strategic. Therefore, I think it is unlikely that most (maybe not all) the girls have been put into smaller groups and taken across the borders to Chad and Cameroon, or elsewhere, or kept in smaller groups or singular in Nigeria. So, again the human intelligence factor is going to be critical to hopefully finding some of them.

I also do not want us to forget that from January-March 2014 young girls were being kidnapped, killed, terrorized and brutalized by Boko Haram. Yesterday, 20 more women were reported kidnapped near Chibook. During January-March 2014, young girls were burned to death in their dorms; others kidnapped, divided up based on their physical maturity level, and those who showed signs of puberty had their throats cut – all of these actions show that Boko Haram’s Shekerau is acting on one of his stated goals that he would: make the mothers and daughters of Nigeria suffer in revenge for the capture of some of Boko Haram’s families members by the Nigerian security forces.

I highlight all of these things to underscore that we as the international community cannot be sporadic on these horrible human rights violations and brutality of young girls. We must do all we can to protect the young women in the North.  A few recommendations on human side of this issue, just in case the current assistance packages are not including these things:

My recommendations are mostly directed at protecting and assisting the young girls who escaped, their families, and the families of those who are still missing:

1.) More trauma and grief counseling for families and the returned girls;

2.) Liaison committee lead by someone respected for their human rights values that can help keep the families informed to avoid the Malaysian MH370 family relations issues;

3.) Ensure that the girls that have returned and their families are protected so they don’t become victims again -- as am sure Boko Haram is watching what happens with them. Even if we protect their faces, this doesn’t mean that Boko Haram elements cannot figure out who they are, so we need to be careful with their safety;

4.) President Jonathan should meet with the families, even if it is not in Chibook/Chibok;

5.) And, I am not making an apples and oranges comparison necessarily, but if the world/international community could mobilize tons of financial, technical, human resources to try to find the missing Malaysia plane MH 370 of 239 people, it can mobilize the same to find the 247 girls no matter in what country they are located. 

6.) Things such as mistrust among neighboring countries in sharing intelligence must take a back seat. 

I do see an array of assistance, but nowhere near the level of mobilization that is probably needed by the entire international community – full time, all the time.

Thank You Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Bass and Members of the Subcommittee

 

*As delivered to The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Human Rights, and International Organizations, June 11, 2014, 2:30pm

 

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