Nigeria: Promised extra aid from US blocked

On Monday President Barack Obama met Nigeria's new leader Muhammadu Buhari and discussed ongoing plans to defeat Boko Haram. Obama praised Buhari's integrity and Buhari claimed to have a very clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram extremists inside his country. The Obama administration has pledged $5 million to Nigeria's military since Buhari's election earlier this year. Obama said Nigeria is ‘one of the most important countries’ in Africa, and he and Buhari discussed combatting corruption, public health concerns and climate change. On Wednesday it was discovered that the US Leahy Law which prevents the government selling arms to countries which fail to tackle human rights abuses applies to Nigeria. However the Nigerian military does not possess appropriate weapons and technology to address the ‘human rights violations’, and the agreement between the two presidents would have released this technology to Nigeria. On Thursday President Buhari said, ‘Unwittingly, and I dare say unintentionally, the application of the Leahy Law Amendment by the United States government has aided and abetted the Boko Haram terrorists.’

Pray: that God will cement this partnership. Pray for appropriate military technical support and help to rebuild damaged communities in north-east Nigeria. (Ps.127:1)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-33634607