UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon said on Monday that he was outraged by an onslaught of Nigerian non-state armed groups at a large humanitarian hub in Ngala, a locality in the northeastern Borno State, where five UN staffers were present at the time of the attack
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2020) UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon said on Monday that he was outraged by an onslaught of Nigerian non-state armed groups at a large humanitarian hub in Ngala, a locality in the northeastern Borno State, where five UN staffers were present at the time of the attack.
According to a press release by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), armed militants attacked the Ngala facility on Saturday, leaving burnt down an entire compound and one of the UN vehicles, which, given their scarcity, are of critical importance for delivering humanitarian aid. The OCHA said "protective security measures" prevented any harm to the staff.
"I am outraged by the extremely violent attack on this key humanitarian facility where five United Nations staff were staying at the time of the incident," the press release quoted Kallon as saying.
According to the text, this was "the latest of too many" attacks directly targeting UN aid workers in Borno, notwithstanding that they deliver vital assistance to vulnerable people in the most remote areas who otherwise would have had no access to it.
Kallon called upon "on all parties to the conflict to respect the principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality which guide the assistance the humanitarian community delivers in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe."
He said UN staffers in Borno provide assistance to more than 55,000 people in Ngala, and such attacks might jeopardize the their readiness to stay and continue helping people.
The press release described the attackers as "heavily armed non-state armed groups operatives," not specifying their affiliation.
For more than a decade, Nigeria has been suffering from violent warfare of insurgents, particularly the Boko Haram militant group that seeks to eliminate the Western system of education and establish Sharia law in the African country. In 2015, the group pledge allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia).
