Nigerian President says no need for UN to deploy forces to fight Boko Haram

Nigeria’s outgoing president told the United Nations on Thursday not to focus on deploying an international force to fight Boko Haram but instead help victims of its terror.
President Goodluck Jonathan met with the U.N. special representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, as Nigeria is accused of blocking a strong U.N. Security Council mandate to deploy a regional force against the Islamic extremist group.
Jonathan said the U.N. intervention should not be based on Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which can require military enforcement, but instead on Chapter 8, which recognizes the role of regional organizations in promoting peace and security.
“Jonathan expressed the view that U.N. intervention in Nigeria should not be based on Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which relates to military enforcement of peace, but on Chapter 8,” said an official Nigerian statement.

Jonathan “urged the United Nations to focus more on helping Nigeria with the rehabilitation and reconstruction of persons and communities affected by terrorism in northern Nigeria rather than deploying an international force,” it said.