U.S. and Nigerian officials have convened their second Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting as Nigeria seeks removal from the U.S. Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, a designation applied to countries where religious minorities are subjected to abuse and violent persecution—charges the Nigerian government has rejected.
Talks centered on the importance of ensuring that those responsible for violence are brought to justice through stronger judicial and security institutions. The discussions also addressed expanded military-to-military cooperation. The U.S. recognized Nigeria’s efforts to prosecute hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) suspects, increase judicial capacity, and recruit and train an additional 50,000 police officers.
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Still, “the JWG identified continuing challenges, including reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency. Discussions on military-to-military cooperation continue today at the Pentagon,” the U.S. State Department said.
