Nigeria has not yet endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It participated in the negotiations towards a Political Declaration where it renewed its commitment to pursue the actualization of the Maputo Communiqué and reiterated its support for cooperation and partnerships with international organisations and civil society to draw upon their expertise and support in the area of victim assistance and rehabilitation. It also repeated its support for the promotion of bilateral and regional cooperation through sharing of experiences, good practices and expertise on reducing the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas, and said it remained open to engage constructively in the process of the Political Declaration.1
Statements and positions
In 2017, Nigeria endorsed the communiqué arising from the Maputo Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.2 The Maputo Communiqué discussed the harms of explosive weapons in populated areas, the role of African states in working against it, and the need to create a Political Declaration on the matter. The 19 African states present agreed to work independently and cooperatively to, inter alia: avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas; encourage collection of data and information; fully support the process towards adoption of an international Political Declaration; promote bilateral and regional cooperation through sharing experiences, good practices and expertise on reducing the harm caused by explosive weapons to civilians; constructively engage in discussions and initiatives at international level that could effectively provide greater protection to civilians in armed conflicts; foster deeper and further engagement from African States; and strengthen cooperation and partnerships with international organizations and civil society organisations to draw upon their relevant expertise and support.
Nigeria is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to “Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity” in May 2016, including the commitment “to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.”3
Nigeria also endorsed the Ireland-led joint statement during the 74th United Nations General Assembly First Committee in 2019.4 The statement encouraged states to participate in international efforts to address the impacts of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas on civilians, including by working towards the creation of an international Political Declaration on this issue.5