The Trump administration plans to sell weaponized aircraft to Nigeria. U.S. Senators raise concerns about human rights violations by the Nigerian military and urge Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to reconsider the decision.
The Trump administration plans to sell weaponized lightweight aircraft to Nigeria with an approximate price tag of $600 million. The government of Nigeria intends to use the A-29 Super Tucano planes in its brutal fight against Boko Haram, which has caused a heavy toll on civilians. More than 20,000 people have been killed, 1.8 million people are internally displaced and more than 14 million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The sale of weaponized aircraft to Nigeria will do nothing to address these concerns and will likely exacerbate these concerns by further militarizing the conflict.
On May 12 FCNL along with five other organizations sent a letter to Congress raising concerns about the potential arms sale. The letter stated, “We believe that given the Nigerian government has not taken adequate action to protect human rights and enforce accountability in the military, this transfer runs a substantial risk of resulting in serious human rights violations.”
Last week on June 8, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raising alarms about the human rights situation in Nigeria.
The letter stated:
“We believe the security threats Nigeria is facing are very real but that a sale of this nature, and at this time, is ill-advised. Boko Haram – a 5,000 to 10,000 strong insurgent force with ties to the Islamic State – will not be defeated through expanded air power alone.
“We are concerned that the decision to proceed with this sale will empower the government to backtrack even further on its commitments to human rights, accountability, and upholding international humanitarian law, which in turn could spur greater unrest and violence, particularly in the northeastern part of the country.”
