Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist the Nigerian and Cameroon governments in combating Boko Haram.

The UK is working with international partners, including the US and France, to support Nigeria and its neighbours, including Cameroon, in their fight against Boko Haram. The UK is providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support and expertise to Nigeria, including tactical training and capacity building support to the Nigerian armed forces. We are also working with the United Nations, European Union and International Committee of the Red Cross to support the large number of people displaced by the conflict.

Ministerial meetings in Paris, London and Abuja last year brought together international and regional partners to help Nigeria and its neighbours implement measures to tackle Boko Haram. The Right Hon Stephen O’Brien MP (Special Rep for the Sahel) attended the follow-up meeting on security in Nigeria on 20 January in Niamey, Niger where further discussion took place on improving regional cooperation to tackle the Boko Haram threat.