SHOCKING:
‘NIGERIA is 5TH Most DANGEROUS Country in the WORLD’-The World Economic Forum
…Colombia, Yemen, El-Salvador, Pakistan top list; Egypt is 7th, Kenya 8th, Mali 13th, Chad 15th, South Africa 17th
* ‘Boko Haram, Isis West Africa responsible for much of the violence that occurs in Nigeria’
* ‘Visitors should be vigilant at public gatherings, locations frequented by foreigners and to Exercise extreme caution throughout the country due to the threat of indiscriminate violence’-US Department of State
* ‘Conflict between Nigerian military, armed group Boko Haram continued and generated a humanitarian crisis that affected more than 14 million people’-Amnesty International Report 2017
* ‘There remained at least 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Nigeria; 80% of them lived in host communities, while the remainder lived in camps’
* ‘At Giwa barracks, children under five were detained in three overcrowded and insanitary women’s cells, alongside at least 250 women and teenage girls per cell. Some children were born in detention’
* Amnesty International allegation: ‘Nigeria Military conducts arbitrary arrests and detentions, Lack of Accountability’
A DAMNING REPORT AGAINST NIGERIA HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM in its latest compilation of the 20 Most Dangerous Countries in the world, where Africa’s most populous black nation occupied the 5th position. Also, Amnesty International in its recent report has critically criticized the Nigerian military for human rights abuse, lack of accountability and inhumanity to mankind.
According to these reports, the World Economic Forum, WEF, an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, other leaders of society to shape global, regional, industry agendas states that “Two extremist groups, Boko Haram, and Isis West Africa, are responsible for much of the violence that occurs in Nigeria, and commonly target heavily populated areas like churches, schools, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues. The US Department of State says visitors should be vigilant at public gatherings and locations frequented by foreigners, and to Exercise extreme caution throughout the country due to the threat of indiscriminate violence.”
The WEF recently released their Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which analyzes the state of the travel and tourism sectors in 136 countries around the globe.
As a part of this report, the WEF ranks the safety of each of those countries. To come up with this ranking, the forum “measures the extent to which a country exposes tourists and businesses to security risks mainly related to serious harm to people (violence and terrorism).” The ranking does not take petty crime into account. 20 most dangerous countries from the report, based on safety and security were released.
WEF incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva reveals ranking of these most dangerous countries below:
1. Colombia: While Colombia isn’t as dangerous as it once was — Medellin was named South America’s best destination last year — visiting the country still poses quite a risk for foreign travellers.
BACRIM, armed gangs, are responsible for kidnappings, drug trafficking, and robberies that occur throughout the country, while acts of terrorism, like explosions, are common in many big cities like Bogota.
2. Yemen: Rebel groups based in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, continue to both target and detain US citizens. Extremist groups such as al-Qaeda are also active in the country, and because of land mines and air strikes, much of Yemen’s population lacks basic necessities like food, water, and medical assistance.
3. El Salvador: Besides having one of the world’s highest homicide levels, El Salvador is also known for its many gangs, which are known as maras. Gang violence includes everything from extortion to arms and drug trafficking.
4. Pakistan: Religious conflict has plagued Pakistan for years, and violence against certain religious groups is still common throughout the country. Pakistan’s government also greatly limits freedom of speech, and forbids foreigners access to numerous places throughout the country.
6. Venezuela:
Shortages of basic goods such as water, food, medicine, and electricity have lead to much social unrest and crime throughout Venezuela. The country has one of the highest crime rates in the world; armed robbery, murder, kidnapping, and carjacking are all common forms of violence in much of the country. The US Department of State warns against travel to Venezuela.
7. Egypt:
Isis and other extremist groups pose serious threats to public venues throughout Egypt, including tourist sites. The groups have also been known to target various modes of transportation.
8. Kenya: While many terrorist attacks occur outside of Nairobi, the threat of terrorism is still high in the city. Grenades, shootings, and stabbings are common forms of attacks.
9. Honduras: Honduras is home to one of the world’s highest murder rates. The department of Gracias a Dios in particular is plagued with crime and drug trafficking, and also lacks police or military presence. Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba are other dangerous areas; 70% of US citizen homicides in the last seven years happened in these districts.
10. Ukraine: Fighting between Ukrainian armed forces and Russian-backed armed separatists is common in both the eastern and southeastern regions of the Ukraine, more specifically, the regions of Donetsk oblast, Luhansk oblast, and Crimea. Civilians continue to get caught up in the fighting.
11. Philippines: In addition to the recent shooting and fire at a Manila Casino, kidnappings are common throughout the Sulu Archipelago and the southern Sulu Sea. Foreigners are often the targets of these kidnappings.
12. Lebanon: Since multiple extremist groups are active in Lebanon, terrorist attack such as bombings happen frequently. It’s also typical for protests and smaller disputes between neighbours or families to escalate and turn violent, causing harm to bystanders.
13. Mali: The risk for terrorist attacks is high in Mali’s capital, Bamako, as well as other parts of northern and central Mali. Hotels and restaurants are often the targets for these attacks; in November of 2015, a number of people were taken hostage and killed at a Radisson Hotel in Bamako.
14. Bangladesh: Besides the threat of terrorist attacks, extreme weather also affects Bangladesh, putting the country at risk for a number of natural disasters. The Asian nation experiences tropical cyclones, flooding, and sometimes earthquakes.
15. Chad: Isis, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram are all active in Chad. In the past, attacks by these extremist groups have targeted not only civilians and security forces, but also foreigners. Border crossings can be dangerous too, due to minefields in those areas — specifically Chad’s borders with Libya and Sudan.
16. Guatemala: Guatemala’s border with Mexico is one of the most dangerous parts of the country because of frequent drug and alien smuggling. The country also had the fifth highest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean last year. Other common crimes include carjacking, armed robbery, and theft.
17. South Africa: High crime rates in South Africa have led many locals to hire private security guards to protect them. Rape and murder occur frequently, especially in the more remote townships and settlements.
18. Jamaica: While there are currently no travel advisories for Jamaica, violent crime and shootings are still rampant in some parts of the country, like Kingston and Montego Bay. Even guests staying in resorts can be affected.
19. Thailand: The provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla — all of which are in southern Thailand — are the most dangerous in the country. In the last 13 years, more than 6,500 deaths have occurred in these areas due to violence. There’s also a martial law in effect in the region.
20. Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Congolese armed forces, as well as other armed groups and bandits, are active in many parts of the country, and they are pretty violent. Because the Congolese military is in operation throughout the country, travellers are likely to come across troops, armoured vehicles, and attack helicopters.
For Amnesty International, its report says: “The conflict between the military and the armed group Boko Haram continued and generated a humanitarian crisis that affected more than 14 million people. The security forces continued to commit serious human rights violations including extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances. The police and military continued to commit torture and other ill-treatment. Conditions in military detention were harsh. Communal violence occurred in many parts of the country. Thousands of people were forcibly evicted from their homes.”
On Boko Haram crisis, Amnesty International reveals that “Boko Haram continued to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in the northeast, affecting 14.8 million people. The group continued to carry out attacks and small-scale raids throughout the year. The national and regional armed forces recaptured major towns from Boko Haram’s control.
“The military continued to carry out arbitrary arrests, detentions, ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions of people suspected of being Boko Haram fighters − acts which amounted to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. In May, 737 men detained as Boko Haram suspects by the army were transferred to the prison in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state. They were charged for being ‘incorrigible vagabonds’, which carried up to two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine.
“In April, the Defence Ministry started Operation Safe Corridor to ‘rehabilitate repentant and surrendered Boko Haram fighters’ in a camp. On 13 October, 21 Chibok schoolgirls abducted in 2014 were released by Boko Haram fighters following negotiations. One more girl was found in November; about 195 Chibok schoolgirls remained missing at the end of the year.”
Regarding the internally displaced people, Amnesty International report states “There remained at least 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Nigeria; 80% of them lived in host communities, while the remainder lived in camps. The camps in Maiduguri remained overcrowded, with inadequate access to food, clean water and sanitation.
“In the so-called inaccessible territories in Borno state, tens of thousands of IDPs were held in camps under armed guard by the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a state-sponsored civilian militia formed to fight Boko Haram. Most of the IDPs were not allowed to leave the camps and did not receive adequate food, water or medical care. Thousands of people have died in these camps due to severe malnutrition. In June, in a guarded camp in Bama, Borno state, the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières reported over 1,200 bodies had been buried within the past year. Both the CJTF and the army were accused of sexually exploiting women in the IDP camps in exchange for money or food, or for allowing them to leave the camps.”
On Nigeria military arbitrary arrests and detentions, the report says “The military arbitrarily arrested thousands of young men, women and children who fled to the safety of recaptured towns, including Banki and Bama, Borno state. These arrests were largely based on random profiling of men, especially young men, rather than on reasonable suspicion of having committed a recognizably criminal offence. In most cases, the arrests were made without adequate investigation. Other people were arbitrarily arrested as they attempted to flee from Boko Haram. Those detained by the military had no access to their families or lawyers and were not brought before a court. More than 1,500 detainees were released throughout the year.
“The mass arrests by the military of people fleeing Boko Haram led to overcrowding in military detention facilities. At the military detention facility at Giwa barracks, Maiduguri, cells were overcrowded. Diseases, dehydration and starvation was rife. At least 240 detainees died during the year. Bodies were secretly buried in Maiduguri’s cemetery by the Borno state environmental protection agency staff. Among the dead were at least 29 children and babies, aged between newborn and five years. At Giwa barracks, children under five were detained in three overcrowded and insanitary women’s cells, alongside at least 250 women and teenage girls per cell. Some children were born in detention.”
On Lack of accountability, Amnesty International said “There was continued lack of accountability for serious human rights violations committed by security officers. No independent and impartial investigations into crimes committed by the military had taken place despite the President’s repeated promises in May. Moreover, senior military officials alleged to have committed crimes under international law remained uninvestigated; Major General Ahmadu Mohammed was reinstated into the army in January. He was in command of operations when the military executed more than 640 detainees following a Boko Haram attack on the detention centre in Giwa barracks on 14 March 2014.
“In its November preliminary report, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it will continue its analysis of any new allegations of crimes committed in Nigeria and its assessment of admissibility of the eight potential cases identified in 2015, in order to reach a decision on whether the criteria for opening an investigation are met.”
#Additional Reports by Business Insider Weekly and The Independent Newspaper
