Some soldiers on Thursday laid siege to the
office of Action Against Hunger, an international non governmental organisation
(NGO) in Damaturu, Yobe state capital.
An aide worker in the town who
does not want to be named said they got a message earlier in the week
that soldiers were coming after some NGOs operating in the north-east.
According to him, soldiers
stormed the NGO’s office on Thursday, ordering the place to be shut down.
The source said they have always
had issues with the military who accuse them of providing food and healthcare
to Boko Haram insurgents.
“We got the message about this
matter. We weren’t totally surprised seeing the soldiers this evening,” he
said.
“Our job here is to provide
humanitarian services to all involved. When we travel to the affected villages
with drugs and food, the insurgents don’t attack us and the military always
think we are working with them.
“No. It is international
convention that we provide humanitarian services to all parties. If anyone is
hungry, we give food. Those sick or wounded, we take care, as long as they are
willing and are not bearing arms.”
He added that indeed, there have
been occasions where they were stopped by the insurgents who were hungry and
asked for food.
“See, there’s nothing like
insurgents or enemy for us who provide humanitarian service. We won’t drive
past a village where the people are hungry without providing relief,” he said.
In a statement issued on
Thursday, Action Against Hunger said its Maiduguri office was also closed by
soldiers on Wednesday.
“This decision, without notice
and without any explanation, jeopardizes the assistance Action Against Hunger
provides to the most vulnerable people in Borno State and halts, with immediate
effect, the assistance Action Against Hunger provides to millions of people in
Maiduguri, Monguno, and Damasak,” the statement read.
“Action Against Hunger calls on
the competent authorities to let us continue our work in the region.”
The organisation said it delivers
neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian aid to millions of people in
the area by providing basic services to the most vulnerable, especially women
and children.
In May, the army accused NGOs of
providing humanitarian support to the insurgents, warning that “it will not
hesitate to sanction any such recalcitrant organisation as appropriate”.
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