Emergency rule: ACF seeks monitoring of military operations

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: Emergency rule: ACF seeks monitoring of military operations
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Pan-Northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, has asked the Federal Government to allow human rights groups to monitor the military operations in the three North-East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa currently under emergency rule.
  
  President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14 declared state of emergency in the three states to flush out the Boko Haram insurgents.
  
  The Forum, which also welcomed the presidential order to release detained members of the sect, also expressed concern over the operations of the military in the affected states, noting that it would continue to also monitor development in the areas.
  
  ACF, however, urged the government to go further by providing relief materials to those affected and asked the Federal Government to comply fully with the resolution of the National Assembly on the proclamation of the state of emergency, especially with regard to the funding and sustenance of the military campaigns.
  
  It said some states and local governments in the states had borne the cost of the Boko Haram insurgency with disastrous consequences on their economy.
  
  Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Mrs. Fati Ibrahim, who read a communiqué after the end of a joint meeting of the National Executive Council and the Board of Trustees on Wednesday in Kaduna, also warned politicians across the country against inflammatory statements that could trigger crisis ahead of the 2015 general elections.
  
  The forum urged political leaders to bear in mind that “it is fight over offices and political disagreements that have usually metamorphosed into serious conflicts and national crises.”
  
  “No politician’s interest is that large to warrant another national conflict,” it added.
  
  According to the pan-northern group, allowing the human rights groups to monitor military operations in the affected states will enable the world to know the method being applied in bringing the crisis to an end.
  
  The communique read in part, “The ACF is keenly concerned with and continues to monitor closely developments relating to the ongoing military operations directed against Boko Haram insurgency in parts of the Northern states.
  
  “The Forum had earlier expressed reservations about the wisdom of an all-out military campaign as the only strategy of tackling the problem and had accordingly welcomed the acceptance by the Federal Government to explore the other options of dialogue and conciliation.
  
  “Accordingly, the ACF feels obliged to continue to draw the attention of the Federal Government on the need to ensure that ongoing military campaigns result in a minimum destruction of human and material resources.
  
  “Given our experiences with this campaign so far, there is the possibility of the military to taking heavy-handed actions or commit other offences, thereby making themselves very much part of the insecurity (crisis) rather than the solution in the conflict areas.
  
  “In the light of these problems, the ACF urges the Federal Government to allow human rights monitors and observers full access to all areas involved in the current military campaigns so as to ascertain the methods being applied.
  
  “Furthermore, the ACF urges the Federal Government to comply in full with the resolutions of the National Assembly on the proclamation of the State of Emergency; especially with regard to the funding and sustenance of the military campaign. States and local governments in the arrears of conflict have borne the main cost of the operation with disastrous consequences on their economies.
  
  It added, “ACF welcomes the decision to release people being held in detention on suspicion of belonging to Boko Haram or related crimes, it is our hope that the Federal Government follows through with necessary relief materials to those affected.
  
  “On the political climate in the country, the ACF has observed with concern that politicians are becoming desperate as the deadline of the 2015 general elections draw near. Some of the politicians already are resorting to measures that are undemocratic and may run counter to the peace and unity of the country.”