US debates ‘terrorist’ sanctions for Boko Haram
The U.S. State Department is debating the
wisdom of designating the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram a “foreign
terrorist organization” despite entreaties from lawmakers and the
Justice Department to do so.
U.S. diplomats are giving serious consideration to the arguments of a
group of academics who sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton this week urging her department not to apply the “terrorist”
label to the al Qaeda-linked group.
The professors said Boko Haram’s violent tactics have “turned most
Nigerians against them,” and their reputation among other militants
might be enhanced by a “terrorist” designation.
U.S. action might also validate the position of more radical elements
of Boko Haram, which is divided into factions, the professors said.
The academics also argued that any U.S. move to label Boko Haram as a
terrorist group would “effectively endorse excessive use of force”
against the group by Nigerian security forces “at a time when the rule
of law in Nigeria is in the balance.”
Abuses by Nigerian security forces already have “facilitated radical recruitment,” the professors said.
A group of Republican senators led by Scott Brown of Massachusetts
introduced legislation on Thursday that would require the State
Department to determine whether Boko Haram should be formally labeled a
“foreign terrorist” group.
The designation would subject it to economic sanctions, including the
freezing of U.S. bank accounts, and would make it illegal for anyone in
the United States to provide support to the group.
Brown said the group had allegedly been responsible for more than 700 deaths in the last 18 months.
Senator Saxby Chambliss, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee, said the group had been improving the design of its homemade
bombs, which constitute a “serious threat to international and U.S.
interests.”
In the House of Representatives, Republican Patrick Meehan, who
chairs a subcommittee on homeland security, has introduced an amendment
that would force the administration to add Boko Haram to the terrorism
list or explain why it was not doing so.
A congressional source said State Department representatives are lobbying Congress to stop such legislation.
U.S. government sources confirmed that the academics’ arguments are
being taken seriously at the State Department, where they have featured
in internal discussions about the “terrorist” designation.
“NOT STALLING”
Last week, a senior State Department official told Reuters the
department was “very concerned about violence in Nigeria” and added that
it was “looking at this very carefully.”The official said the
department was “not stalling or dragging our feet.” But he noted that
adding a group to the sanctions list is a “rigorous process which has to
stand up in a court of law.”
A. Carl Levan, an American University scholar who helped organize the
letter to the State Department, said human rights groups had called
attention to alleged “excesses” by Nigerian security forces, and said
future abuses might only be encouraged if the United States puts a
“terrorist” label on Boko Haram.
He also said that the principal legal consequence of an FTO
designation — giving U.S. authorities the ability to freeze the group’s
assets and take legal action against people who support it — would have
little effect, since “when they need money they rob a bank.”
Officially, the State Department will only say that it is considering all the options.
“Working with the Nigerian government to address the growing threat
of violent extremism in Nigeria is a top priority for the
administration,” said a spokeswoman for the department’s Africa bureau.
The official added: “On the question of designating Boko Haram as a
Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)…the Department does not comment in
advance on such decisions. I can assure you, however, that the
Department is reviewing all options with regards to Boko Haram,
including designation as an FTO.”
In January, the top counter-terrorism official at the Justice
Department weighed in with the State Department in favor of an early
move to impose U.S. sanctions on the group.
Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a letter to the State
Department’s counter-terrorism chief that Boko Haram met the criteria
for a “foreign terrorist” listing because it either engages in terrorism
which threatens the United States or has a capability or intent to do
so.
Monaco said that although Boko Haram attacks until now have occurred
only within Nigeria, the United States should not underestimate the
threat the group poses to U.S. interests. Reuters reported earlier this
month on her letter, which was not released to the public.
This is not the only case in which Congress and the administration are at odds over “foreign terrorist” designations.
Several members of Congress, including Senate Intelligence Committee
chairwoman Senator Dianne Feinstein, have been pressing the State
Department for a terrorist designation for the Pakistan-based Haqqani
network, which has been linked to the Taliban and attacks against U.S.
interests in Afghanistan.
Some U.S. officials say the State Department has resisted adding the
Haqqani group to the list on the grounds that the move might complicate
diplomatic efforts to arrange some kind of peace deal between militants
and the Afghan government.
Dankwambo calls for dialogue with Boko Haram
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of
Gombe State on Saturday called for dialogue with members of the Boko Haram group
and other militant groups in the country .
He made the call in Gombe during an interactive session with journalists,
after attending a reception organised to welcome him from the Lesser Hajj
(Umrah).
The governor underscored the need to explore the dialogue option so as to
ensure peace and development in the country.
Dankwambo said that dialogue remained the best option for the resolution of
any crisis.
``Anybody who rebels or engages in any act has a reason for doing so. It is
good to always know the grudges of somebody before you take measures to resolve
it.
``If a group has any problem, either with government or any person; it is
good to know what the problem is so that the issue can be resolved.
``A leader has responsibility to ensure justice by listening to all
complaints.
``That is why we are calling on all aggrieved persons and groups to come and
speak out.
``If we know their problems, measures can be taken to resolve the problems.
Anybody that fights has a reason for fighting but if you don’t know the reason,
you can not resolve it,’’ he said.
Dankwambo called on the Federal Government to dialogue with the Boko Haram
group with the aim of resolving the crisis.
On the recent attack on the camp hosting 1,200 youths, which was also
undergoing rehabilitation, the governor said that he was awaiting security
reports on the matter before he could comment or take any action on it.
Earlier, Dankwambo assured the people who came to receive him that he would
redouble efforts to consolidate the achievements he had recorded in the last one
year.
``What we have so far done in GombeState is the preliminary work; it is now
that we are making efforts to implement the budget fully.
``We will make sure that all the projects and the programmes contained in the
budget are implemented with the resources we have.
``And if you look at the 2012 budget, we have not achieved up to 30 to 35 per
cent of the budget.
``Now that most of the procurement processes have been concluded, we will
start working on some of the projects listed in the budgets; many projects and
programmes will be implemented.
``If we are able to implement all the programmes and projects in the budget,
what we have done before will look like a child’s play, if I may add.
``So our people should be prepared for better things to come. But most
importantly, they should be very prayerful because development only comes with
peace,” Dankwambo said
The
Joint Task Force (JTF) led by the Commander, 5 Battalion of the JTF, Lt
Col Ja’afaru Ibrahim, waylaid an oil theft syndicate during an early
morning raid as they used the riverside Otuogori community in Ogbia
local government area of Bayelsa State as depot for the transportation
of illegally refined petroleum products.
