The Nigerian Army has elevated humanitarian access to a core component of its counter-insurgency strategy, signalling a shift from purely degrading terrorist networks to securing conditions that allow displaced communities to return home, humanitarian agencies to operate safely and long-term stabilisation efforts to take root across Nigeria's North-East.
Desk: Defence & Security
Date: 31 July 2026
Time: 16:50 WAT
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
The Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, disclosed that the strategic direction emerged during a meeting between the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, and the Head of Office of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in Nigeria, Miss Danielle Parry, at Army Headquarters, Abuja.
Rather than focusing solely on battlefield operations, the engagement centred on protecting humanitarian corridors, strengthening civil-military coordination and sustaining recovery efforts in conflict-affected communities.
Lieutenant General Shaibu reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army now views secure humanitarian access as an operational requirement for consolidating military gains. He noted that protecting relief workers, humanitarian convoys and essential supply routes has become increasingly important as internally displaced persons continue returning to their communities and reconstruction efforts expand across Borno State and other affected areas.
Reflecting that priority, the Chief of Army Staff directed the Theatre Commander to reinforce security along vulnerable humanitarian corridors, particularly the Dikwa-Gamboru Ngala axis, where remnants of terrorist groups continue attempting to disrupt relief operations. He also called for stronger convoy protection, improved force protection measures and closer operational coordination between military formations and humanitarian organisations operating across the theatre.
Beyond security, Lieutenant General Shaibu encouraged humanitarian partners to strengthen forward logistics planning through expanded local warehousing and wider implementation of the Humanitarian Reset Initiative to sustain assistance despite growing international funding constraints. The approach reflects a broader effort to align military security operations with humanitarian delivery and community recovery programmes.
Miss Danielle Parry acknowledged the Nigerian Army's continued support for humanitarian operations, noting that nearly six million people across the North-East still depend on humanitarian assistance despite improvements in the security environment. She identified insecurity around Gwoza, Bama, Damboa, Dikwa and Monguno as continuing challenges and appealed for sustained military support to facilitate farming, civilian resettlement and access to vulnerable communities.
The UN OCHA representative also requested greater military assistance in clearing improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance from resettlement areas, alongside enhanced patrols during the rainy season and additional security escorts for humanitarian convoys. She described continued civil-military cooperation as indispensable to protecting vulnerable populations while supporting long-term recovery and development across the region.
The engagement reflects the Nigerian Army's evolving assessment that lasting success against insurgency will increasingly depend not only on sustained military pressure against terrorist groups but also on securing the humanitarian space needed to restore civilian life, strengthen public confidence and transition conflict-affected communities from emergency response to long-term stability.
🏷️ Tags: Zig Press Release, Defence, Nigerian Army, UN OCHA, Humanitarian Access, Counter-Insurgency, North-East Nigeria, Civil-Military Cooperation
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