Switzerland denies funding fight against Boko Haram

Switzerland on Wednesday said it has not given any funding to military operations against Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

AU Peace and Security Council Head, Samail Chergui had said at a donor conference in Addis-Ababa,Ethiopia on Monday, that Switzerland had contributed towards funding the forces fighting Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin.

However the country has denied the claim saying it has never been part of the funding.

“As a neutral actor in conflict situations, Switzerland has never given financial support to military interventions and will abstain from doing so in the future,” the Swiss foreign ministry said.

The country said it has given around $12 million to alleviate the sufferings of people affected by the Militant assaults, but claims it is not funding military forces in the area.

“Switzerland’s action in the Lake Chad region consists solely and exclusively in the financial support to the major humanitarian agencies,” it said.

Donors at the meeting in the Ethiopian capital pledged $250 million for the fight against Boko Haram. Major contributions came from Nigeria, Britain and the European Union.

Boko Haram has in the past years stepped up cross-border attacks in Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.