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Regional summit on protection of terror victims opens in Nigeria

Xinhua, June 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Interior ministers of countries in the Lake Chad Basin on Monday converged on the Nigerian capital Abuja to declare open a regional summit aimed at protecting victims of Boko Haram's insurgency since 2009.

Minister of Interior Abdulrahaman Dambazzau told reporters here at the commencement of the three-day summit that participants from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, which made up the Lake Chad Basin, were present at the meeting.

The primary objective of the summit is to identify the protection risks of the population affected and adopt concrete measures to support refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, the official said, adding emphasis would be on the vulnerable groups such as children, women, and the elderly.

A multinational military joint task force has recently decimated the ranks of Boko Haram, retaking most of the areas previously under Boko Haram's control, especially in Nigeria.

The ruthless Boko Haram group had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of thousands of people and killing of thousands more within the Lake Chad region.

Dambazzau said nations participating in the summit would have the opportunity to decide on common solutions to the problems of those affected by the violence.

The summit, put together in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), will also address the adverse effects of insurgency on the population of Lake Chad Basin, he added.

Curtains will fall on the summit on Wednesday. Endit