The North-East’s counter-insurgency campaign is increasingly linking military operations with humanitarian dialogue, conflict-resolution capacity and community-level engagement as Operation HADIN KAI seeks to consolidate security gains and restore civilian livelihoods across affected communities.
The Theatre Command disclosed this in a statement signed by Capt. Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), following a visit by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue to the command in Maiduguri.
The engagement produced a commitment to strengthen capacity-building and humanitarian processes as part of wider efforts to support sustainable peace in the region.
The Project Manager of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Abuja, Mr Chrisantus Lapang, led the delegation and identified capacity development, conflict-resolution mechanisms and practical areas of co-operation as priorities for the proposed partnership.
He said the organisation was prepared to support the training of military personnel whose responsibilities intersect with peace-building and the restoration of stability in conflict-affected communities.
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The Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, welcomed the initiative and stressed that specialised capacity building could strengthen the command’s ability to support the return of socio-economic activity across the North-East.
He identified training and the development of specific skills required by personnel as key areas through which the partnership could deliver practical value.
The commander also placed the proposed collaboration within the broader non-kinetic dimension of Operation HADIN KAI.
“Beyond battlefield pressure, the command has continued to engage communities, religious and traditional leaders as part of efforts to build public trust, counter narratives that sustain terrorist support and create conditions for the restoration of normal life.”
That approach has also been linked to civilian resettlement and livelihood recovery, with the Theatre Command highlighting support for the return of thousands of internally displaced persons to their ancestral communities and the reopening of access to farms and other sources of livelihood.
He further indicated that these measures complement kinetic operations by improving community cooperation, disrupting terrorist logistics and encouraging terrorists and their associates to abandon violence and surrender.
The Theatre Commander reaffirmed that such operations remain subject to the Rules of Engagement and applicable International Humanitarian Law, including a specific emphasis on civilian harm mitigation.
The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue reaffirmed its willingness to deepen cooperation with Operation HADIN KAI, while the Theatre Command committed to identifying priority training and capacity needs that can translate the partnership into practical support for peace-building and stabilisation.
The engagement was attended by the Deputy Theatre Commander, Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, Component Commanders and other senior officers. It concluded with an interactive session, signing of the visitors’ register, presentation of souvenirs and a group photograph.
