While in the US, president
Buhari criticized the Leahy Law - a U.S. human rights law that prohibits
the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military
assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights. Reacting, the
sponsor of the Law, US Senator Patrick Leahy (the law is named after him) said
Buhari is misguided in his criticism as the law, which has so far stopped the
US govt from assisting Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram, can't be blamed
for the atrocities committed by the 'murderers and rapists in the Nigerian
military'.
“It is well-documented
by the State Department and by respected human rights organisations that
Nigerian army personnel have, for many years, engaged in a pattern and practice
of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian people and others,
including summary executions of prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against
civilians, torture, forced disappearances and rape.
Rarely have the perpetrators been prosecuted or punished. This
abusive conduct not only violates the laws of war, it creates fear and loathing
among the Nigerian people whose support is necessary to defeat a terrorist
group like Boko HaramPresident Buhari ignores the undisputed fact that most
Nigerian army units have been approved, under the Leahy Law, for U.S. training
and equipment.
Only those particular units against which there
is credible evidence of the most heinous crimes are ineligible for U.S. aid.
And even those units can again become eligible if the Nigerian Government takes
effective steps to bring the responsible individuals to justice. I strongly
agree with President Buhari about the need to defeat Boko Haram, and I have
supported tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Nigeria for that purpose.
But rather than suggest that the United States is at fault for not funding
murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military, he should face up to his own
responsibility to effectively counter Boko Haram. He should direct his attention
to the Nigerian military, and the Nigerian courts, and clean up the units
implicated in such atrocities.” He said
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