Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists cannot be won on the battlefield, a top United Nations official has said.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Martin Griffiths, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the terrorists are still dangerous and threatening.
He said crisis that needs more than $1 billion in aid in 2022 to assist those hit by the decade-long conflict,
“You can´t be won on the battlefield,” Griffiths said as he urged more community development efforts.
“You win civil wars in the minds of the people who live there. If you don´t have the communities on your side, it doesn´t really matter how much else you´ve got on your side. You won´t make peace,” he said.
Griffiths urged the world not to forget the continuing devastation caused by Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province, together blamed for killing tens of thousands of residents and displacing millions.
