[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1079-S1080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 253. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Menendez) proposed an amendment to the
resolution S. Res. 65, supporting efforts to bring an end to violence
perpetrated by Boko Haram, and urging the Government of Nigeria to
conduct transparent, peaceful, and credible elections; as follows:
Whereas Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, with
the largest economy;
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Nigeria
have had a strong bilateral relationship, and Nigeria has
been a valued partner of the United States since its
transition to civilian rule;
Whereas the Government of Nigeria is currently confronted
with threats to internal security by terrorists, insurgents,
and communal violence that have caused considerable
population displacement, and at the
[[Page S1080]]
same time must administer transparent and peaceful elections
with a credible outcome;
Whereas the government and those who aspire to hold office
in Nigeria must demonstrate the political will to address
both of these challenges in a responsible way, including by
ensuring full enfranchisement, with particular emphasis on
developing a means for enfranchisement for the hundreds of
thousands displaced by violence;
Whereas the members of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati
wal-Jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram, have terrorized the
people of Nigeria with increasing violence since 2009,
targeting military, government, and civilian sites in
Nigeria, including schools, mosques, churches, markets,
villages, and agricultural centers, and killing thousands and
abducting hundreds of civilians in Nigeria and the
surrounding countries;
Whereas the Department of State named several individuals
linked to Boko Haram, including its leader, Abubakar Shekau,
as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2012, and
designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
(FTO) in November 2013;
Whereas, in May 2014, the United Nations Security Council
added Boko Haram to its al Qaeda sanctions list, and on
January 19, 2015, the United Nations Security Council issued
a presidential statement condemning the recent escalation of
attacks in northeastern Nigeria and surrounding countries and
expressing concern that the situation was undermining peace
and security in West and Central Africa;
Whereas Boko Haram calls for the universal implementation
of what it considers ``pure'' Shari'ah law, has called on all
Christians to leave northern Nigeria, and perpetrates
targeted violent attacks against Christians, churches,
schools, mosques, and Muslim critics;
Whereas the over 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram on
April 14, 2014, from the Government Girls Secondary School in
the northeastern state of Borno, whose kidnapping sparked
domestic and international outrage spawning the Twitter
campaign #BringBackOurGirls, are still missing;
Whereas the militant group is an increasing menace to the
countries along Nigeria's northeastern border, prompting the
African Union, the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the European
Union, and the United Nations Security Council to recognize
that there must be a regional response;
Whereas the United States Government has stepped forward to
offer assistance through intelligence sharing, bilateral and
international sanctioning of Boko Haram leaders,
counterterrorism assistance through the Global Security
Contingency Fund program for countries in the region to
counter the militant group, and humanitarian services to
populations affected by and vulnerable to Boko Haram
violence;
Whereas Boko Haram emerged partially as a response to
underdevelopment in northeastern Nigeria, and inequality,
elite impunity, and alleged human rights abuses by security
forces may be fueling anti-government sentiment;
Whereas it is clear that a military approach alone will not
eliminate the threat of Boko Haram, and gross human rights
abuses and atrocities by security forces causes insecurity
and mistrust among the civilian population;
Whereas it is imperative that the Government of Nigeria
implement a comprehensive, civilian security focused plan
that prioritizes protecting civilians and also addresses
legitimate political and economic grievances of citizens in
northern Nigeria;
Whereas Nigeria is scheduled to hold national elections in
the coming weeks, and the elections appear to be the most
closely contested in Nigeria since the return to civilian
rule;
Whereas election-related violence has occurred in Nigeria
in successive elections, including in 2011, when nearly 800
people died in clashes following the presidential election;
Whereas President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, General
Muhammadu Buhari, and other presidential candidates pledged
to reverse this trend by signing the ``Abuja Accord'' on
January 14, 2015, in which they committed themselves and
their campaigns to refraining from public statements that
incite violence, to running issue-based campaigns that do not
seek to divide citizens along religious or ethnic lines, and
to supporting the impartial conduct of the electoral
commission and the security services;
Whereas Secretary of State John Kerry visited Nigeria on
January 25, 2015, to emphasize the importance of ensuring the
upcoming elections are peaceful, nonviolent, and credible;
Whereas, despite the Nigerian Independent National
Electoral Commission's (INEC) views that preparations were
``sufficient to conduct free, fair and credible elections as
scheduled,'' at the repeated urging of security officials,
INEC announced on February 7, 2015, the postponement of the
elections by six weeks, and elections will now take place on
March 28 and April 11, 2015;
Whereas tensions in the country remain high, and either
electoral fraud or violence could undermine the credibility
of the upcoming election;
Whereas the people of Nigeria aspire for a fair,
competently executed, and secure electoral process, as well
as an outcome that can be accepted peacefully by all
citizens; and
Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to
maintain close ties with a politically stable, democratic and
economically sound Nigeria: Now, therefore, be it
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