Guterres to Buhari: Combine kinetic and humanitarian efforts to defeat terrorism

Visiting Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday has stated that the federal government must pursue a combination of both Kinetic and humanitarian efforts, to defeat terrorism.

Speaking shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the United Nations Chief, also told State House Journalists, that the various communities must be able to defend themselves and trust the government for them to defeat the current wave of terrorism ravaging the West African sub-region.

The UN Secretary-General who was responding to questions on why it is getting too difficult to defeat terror, despite several efforts, stated that terror will fight back if it is tackled militarily.

“It is simple, I saw it in Borno. If you fight terrorism just militarily, the terrorists will strike back but if you fight terrorists militarily and address the root cause of this terrorism, terrorists will no longer have a chance to persist.

Guterres who quoted Mao Tse Tung that “insurrection should move like fish in the water”, added that So, if the community are able to defend themselves and they trust the regional government institutions and if there are programmes to guarantee a full reintegration of ex-terrorists and to guarantee that victims have a future, then I think that we can defeat terrorism.”

Also speaking on the effect of the pressure from Ukraine for humanitarian assistance on UN supply to other nations in need, the UN Chief appealed to wealthy nations not to divert funds meant for humanitarian assistance to other nations to Ukraine.

“From the point of view of the United Nations, it does not affect. We have increased our actions in Ukraine, but we have not decreased our actions in all other parts of the world,” Guterres said.

“ My appeal is for those that support the United Nations financially, not to divert funds from other humanitarian and development funds of cooperation to the Ukraine crisis but to put additional contribution for that crisis not undermining the efforts in humanitarian and development cooperation that are taking place all around the world.”

Guterres, had in his opening remarks, said his visit was a solidarity with victims of terrorism.

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He said he was forced to postpone his visit to Nigeria because of the war in Ukraine, noting that he was keen to carry on his habit of the last two years of identifying with Ramadan.

President Muhammadu Buhari, had received the UN chief and his delegation at the forecourt of his office at about 3.03pm

After the short welcome ceremony, Buhari led Guterres to his office where they had a closed door meeting before returning to brief the media.

At the briefing, President Buhari stressed the importance of the visit at a time the world’s attention is focused on the Russia-Ukraine war.

He also noted the effort to deal with terrorism and the role of the world body.

Guterres, who was earlier in Borno State, said with what he had seen, Nigeria would be able to defeat terrorism.

Antonio Guterres, who arrived Nigeria on Tuesday on a two-day official visit, had visited Borno state to assess the UN humanitarian activities in the Boko Haram ravaged region.

Earlier, the UN Chief had visited Abuja, the UN offices in Abuja where he laid a wreath in memory the victims of 2011 bombing at the U.N. house, while also meeting with young people’s delegates, women, religious leaders and diplomatic communities and journalists.