High level security sources have fingered the Medicins Sans
Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders, operating in the North-east,
where the organisation’s Brussels Operational Centre is currently based
in Maiduguri, in an allegation that it is clandestinely involved in
fuelling the Boko Haram conflict.
Eyes Of Lagos Friday findings reveal that the MSF has been refusing to
allow the Nigerian Army verify that it was actually distributing food
and medicine as it claimed whenever it left Maiduguri into rural areas
and did not inform the authorities.
Since the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed the
lives of over 100,000 Nigerians, numerous aid and humanitarian
organisations have flocked into the country and established offices with
the stated goals of assisting Nigeria take care of the millions of
displaced created by the conflict.
Due to the urgency of the humanitarian situation in North-east Nigeria,
many of these agencies were not properly vetted by the security agencies
before they were allowed to set up offices in the country.
This has created a situation where the security services are said to be
concerned about the activities of certain purported aid organisations
that have been discovered to be engaging in questionable activities.
According to information made available to this paper by confidential
sources, one of the most questionable organisations which has been
quietly engaging in alleged suspicious activities is the MSF.
MSF Suspended From Niger Republic In 2008
Nine years ago, a Wikileaks document made available to the paper
indicated that Niger Republic suspended MSF-France from operating in
some of its region, namely Maradi and Agadez where its programmes
manifestly focus on combating malnutrition and health issues such as
meningitis, measles and malaria.
“The Government of Niger (GON)”, wrote Wikileaks, “forced MSF-France to
suspend its Agadez program last fall after three MSF-F vehicles were
stolen in a short time frame, which the GON considered “voluntary
imprudence” on MSF-F’s part.”
But the real reasons for the suspension were also linked to speculation
at the time that MSF colluded with the rebel group, MNJ, to plan the
theft. According to the then head of the French chapter of MSF in Niger,
Emmanuel Lavieuville, there were strained “relations between MSF-F and
the GON… since at least the 2005 food crises, as well as GON suspicions
that MSF-F sympathized with the rebel group (MNJ),” Mouvement des
Nigériens pour la justice, known in English as Nigerien’s Movement for
Justice, which has been battling the Niger government since 2007.
In 2014, Aljazeera reported that Myanmar kicked out the organization
from the country for its role in caring for sick people, hiring Muslims
and lack of “transparency in its work”.
…Sets Up Shop In North-east Without Security Vetting
Security operatives in Nigeria have accused the organisation of flouting
Nigeria’s national security and disregarding the country’s sovereignty
since it established operations here.
One source in the military command in Maiduguri, who preferred to remain
anonymous, said that the organisation had refused to inform the
headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole of its movements into areas
military operations were still ongoing against the Boko Haram
terrorists, and places where special security measures were still in
place in Borno State.
According to the military source, this was creating a situation where
MSF personnel were traveling without informing the relevant authorities,
in places where they could be abducted or killed by insurgents, which
would create a public relations nightmare for the country.
“Where does it happen that foreigners refuse to obey the rules set by
the local authorities in an active war zone? Or is it because it is
Nigeria, they feel they can get away with flouting our sovereignty?” a
source asked.
The source also said, “They could be bringing in weapons and what have
you to store in their warehouses in Maiduguri, and be delivering them to
Boko Haram during their clandestine travels along the highways, and we
will not know because they refuse to allow us inspect their warehouses
and verify that they are not storing items detrimental to Nigeria’s
security”.
Another military source said that MSF’s refusal to allow inspection of
its warehouses, inform the military before venturing out into areas with
insurgent presence, and to take military escort when doing so as other
humanitarian agencies do, seemed to indicate that there was something
the organisation did not want Nigeria to see it doing.
Smuggled Salkida To France
High ranking security officials have also labelled the MSF as being a
threat to Nigeria’s security, following intelligence reports that the
organisation had secretly flown former journalist and alleged Boko Haram
propagandist Ahmad Salkida, from Nigeria to France where they had
contracted him to help them get in contact with the terrorist group, so
they can negotiate with the terrorists for MSF to supply food and other
items to the few areas controlled by the sect.
It would be recalled that last year Mr Salkida was accused by the
Nigerian Army of aiding and abetting terrorism under the Terrorism
Prevention Act. His international passport had been seized at the
Nigerian diplomatic mission in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he
had been residing, as he had gone to renew it.
Shortly thereafter he had returned to Nigeria, and an agreement had been
reached between the State Security Service and the Nigerian Army
whereby Mr Salkida would be housed in Abuja, and his passport returned
to him, provided he sought permission from the Army via the SSS before
he leaves the country. Also he was to desist from publishing Boko Haram
videos the terrorists send to him to publish.
However, according to sources who spoke to LEADERSHIP Friday, Mr Salkida
had connived with MSF to get a Schengen Visa and fly to France without
informing the SSS and the Army, in violation of the agreement reached.
“MSF did not seek and has not sought the Nigerian government’s
permission to initiate dialogue with Boko Haram, and to reach a deal
with the sect to supply it with food and medicine and other things as it
plans to do”, a highly placed intelligence official said
“They are planning to supply food and other things that we don’t know to
Boko Haram. To terrorists. And they acting clandestinely like they are
an intelligence organisation, not an aid agency”, he said.
“Why can’t MSF ask Nigeria’s permission or inform the government before
engaging Salkida and get approval to talk to the enemies of this
country? What are they hiding? Is that how it is done? Do you go to a
country and start arranging to supply food and medicines to its enemies
and you are hiding it from the government?”, another source queried.
A Nigerian Army source told LEADERSHIP Friday that the Army does not
want food and medicine to be delivered to Boko Haram under the guise of
humanitarian aid, and will oppose it vehemently if such a proposal was
put before it by any aid organisation.
He said, “Who wants to be feeding his enemy in war? Make no mistake if
MSF begins to deliver food and medicine to Boko Haram as we know it has
contracted Salkida to do, it will be providing material support to
terrorists who have killed Nigerian soldiers and civilians.
“The excuse they are giving to some people that they have been meeting
in Abuja which we are aware of, is that they want to provide food and
medicine to women and children under Boko Haram control. This excuse
does not fly, because we know Boko Haram will use those foods and
medicine for its fighters first, which enables it to stay in the fight
longer.
“Our strategy is to starve, kill and deprive Boko Haram of any
logistical support so that hunger will push its fighters to come out and
surrender, and especially if they have families they will be forced to
surrender for their families to see food.
“If they are shot we want them to find no medicine, and have to
surrender to get treatment. MSF supplying them food and medicine as we
know they are working to do, only prolongs the course of this war and
keeps BH in the fight longer, and that is unacceptable”, he concluded.
According to these sources, the woman in charge of the MSF’s attempt to
talk to Boko Haram and arrange to supply it food via Ahmad Salkida, is a
certain Ghada Hatim, who used to be MSF Head of Mission in Nigeria. She
recently handed over to another person and left the country, but has
returned below the radar to work on this plan.
People who held meetings or were present at meetings requested by Ms
Hatim, with some political, diplomatic and security actors, speaking
anonymously, claimed that she refused to recognise that Nigeria had
legitimate security concerns if MSF began to transfer food and medicine
to Boko Haram.
One of them said she did not see her acting covertly inside Nigeria and
her speaking clandestinely with terrorist enemies of the country without
informing the government, as flouting Nigeria’s sovereignty and acting
against Nigeria’s national security interests.
Th source said, “The most insufferable thing about her and MSF is they
dismiss Nigeria’s sovereignty and trivialise the fact that they are
planning to supply aid to a terrorist organisation which has killed tens
of thousands of Nigerians.
“If this was Egypt can they do that and not get arrested and locked
away? Look at how Egypt dealt with those Aljazeera journalists it felt
were trampling on its rights as a sovereign nation, that is how we
should treat people like Mrs Hatim who are actively working to sabotage
our security”.
MSF Denies Involvement In Conflict
When contacted via email, Ms Hatim replied through the same medium that
the MSF entertains “interviews/ Q&As on any matter with regard to
our humanitarian relief operations in the North East of Nigeria” but
sought further information about the newspaper.
After she got our response, an email was sent by the Operational
Communications Advisor, Sophie Madden, who, wrote that Hatim passed on
our enquiry to her. She asked that all questions for which
clarifications are sought should be through to her “or to the Nigeria
comms email address (which is in copy) for any future enquiries, rather
than going direct to our operational team.”
She said “MSF is not involved in supporting any party to the ongoing
conflict in Borno State,” instead the organization is “a medical
humanitarian organisation that works in more than 60 countries around
the world.
After several email exchanges, Madden replied to questions emailed to
her including the ones on the alleged role the organization played in
unlawfully ferrying Salkida out of the country, saying: “MSF does not
engage in “questionable activities” in Borno state. We would be grateful
if you could provide more background information about your questions,
which do not reflect the work of MSF.
“As a part of our registration, we comply with official regulations. We
inform the authorities of our movements in areas of ongoing conflict,
and regularly meet them at state and federal level to provide updates on
the work we are doing. It is routine for us to engage with journalists,
including those working for publications such as your own, in the
course of our work.” Madden added.
She further added: “MSF is a medical humanitarian organisation that has
been registered in Borno since 2014, and has been working in Nigeria
since 1985. We currently provide much-needed medical humanitarian
assistance in eleven places across Borno, including in Maiduguri,
Monguno and Ngala.
“Between July and December last year, our staff provided medical
consultations to 175,516 people, admitted 3,306 people to hospital and
distributed food to 32,365 families in Borno.
“We provide emergency medical humanitarian assistance to people who need
it, during conflicts and disease outbreaks, following natural disasters
or where people would not otherwise have access to medical care.
“We work according to medical ethics and our own charter which is based
on principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality. We treat
anyone who needs medical care, regardless of their political
affiliation, religion or ethnicity and do not take sides in any of the
conflicts in which we work,” she submitted.
Reps Reject Bill On Stigmatisation Of Boko Haram Victims
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday rejected a bill for an
Act to prohibit the stigmatisation of victims of insurgency or
militancy.
The bill, which was sponsored by Hon. Ahmed Yerima (Kano-APC), sought to
provide for prosecution of any person or group, who may prevent such
victims from reintegrating in the community.
Leading the debate on the bill, Yerima had said that the bill, if
passed, would uphold and protect the fundamental rights of the victims
to dignity and freedom of association as enshrined in the Constitution.
According to him, the bill targets victims of Boko Haram insurgency who,
after rehabilitation, still find it difficult to reintegrate due to
stigmatisation.
While canvassing support for the bill, the lawmaker stressed the need
for a mechanism to restrain those who stigmatised such victims in the
country.
In his contribution, the chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Mr Emmanuel Orker-Jev (Benue-APC), opposed the bill.
Order-Jev argued that what the bill sought to achieve had been provided
for in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution as amended.
He said, “The Constitution is supreme over Acts of parliament”, and urged members to drop the bill.
After contributions by members, the bill was rejected through a
unanimous vote put by the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara.
