Experts from the United States Defense Institute of International Legal Studies and Nigerian military officers have met on issues surrounding the protection of civilians.
Fourteen Officers from the three Nigerian military branches and their US counterparts met from August 15 to 18, 2022.
They discussed issues involving human rights, law of armed conflict, and protection of civilians.
Through group discussions and presentations, participants explored ways to expand the role of military legal advisors beyond their traditional military justice roles.
For example, legal advisors can assist in the planning of operations to reduce the risk of unintentionally harming civilians.
In addition, participants discussed ways to enhance Nigerian military’s investigation, tracking and public reporting of incidents where civilians are unintentionally harmed.
The DIILS is the lead United States Department of Defense resource for global legal engagement and capacity-building with international defense sector officials.
The four-day engagement in Abuja was led by US lawyers and military members with years of experience in operational law and military justice.
They built on similar, ongoing DIILS institutional capacity building efforts since September 2021.
Through these engagements, the US and Nigeria aim to further develop the Nigerian military’s capability to ensure the protection of civilians during military operations and to respond in a timely way to incidents of civilian harm during such operations.
The United States looks forward to continuing these engagements with the Nigerian military in the future.