Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) have strengthened collaboration on humanitarian access and civilian protection in Nigeria’s North East, with stakeholders seeking improved coordination in the delivery of assistance to conflict-affected communities.
According to an official statement signed by Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, the commitment was reinforced at a Humanitarian/Civil-Military Coordination Roundtable held on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the OPHK Headquarters.
The roundtable, co-chaired by the Theatre Commander, OPHK, Major General AE Abubakar, and the Deputy Head of Office, UN OCHA, North East Nigeria, Patricia Mucheche, brought together representatives of humanitarian agencies, the Borno State Government and other relevant stakeholders.
The engagement focused on strengthening coordination between the military and humanitarian community to facilitate effective humanitarian assistance and enhance the protection of civilians in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
Participants received briefings on the humanitarian activities and stabilisation efforts of Operation HADIN KAI before deliberating on challenges affecting humanitarian operations, including access constraints, security of humanitarian personnel and assets, protection of civilians and recently relocated Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and the security of major humanitarian supply routes.
Speaking at the roundtable, Major General Abubakar described the engagement as timely and important to strengthening professional relations and constructive dialogue between OPHK and humanitarian partners.
He noted that the meeting, held four years after the last Humanitarian Roundtable, was in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s directive to reinforce the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s commitment to humanitarian support.
The Theatre Commander stressed that while kinetic operations remained essential to degrading the residual capabilities of terrorist groups, humanitarian support was equally critical to stabilisation efforts.
“While kinetic operations remain essential to degrading the residual capabilities of terrorist groups, the Humanitarian Line of Effort is equally indispensable,” Abubakar said.
He added that the protection of civilians, facilitation of safe returns and restoration of socio-economic activities could not be achieved through military action alone, underscoring the need for sustained collaboration with humanitarian organisations.
Major General Abubakar identified the protection of farmers and livelihood activities, safeguarding recently relocated IDPs, addressing misconduct and strengthening relations between the Armed Forces and humanitarian partners as areas requiring enhanced coordination.
He also acknowledged challenges including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats, the movement of large volumes of cash, humanitarian access constraints, security of humanitarian actors and assets, as well as funding limitations.
The Theatre Commander called for open, respectful and constructive dialogue among stakeholders to address the challenges, while appreciating UN OCHA, humanitarian partners and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their continued support to affected communities and capacity-building initiatives for OPHK personnel.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, had earlier reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to providing the security required for the safe movement of humanitarian personnel, relief materials and critical supplies along key operational corridors.
Shaibu stressed that safe humanitarian access remained central to civilian protection, stabilisation and the safe and dignified return of displaced persons to their communities.
He called for innovative force protection measures, robust convoy escort arrangements and stronger operational coordination between military and humanitarian organisations, while encouraging UN OCHA to strengthen forward logistics planning despite prevailing funding constraints.
In her remarks, Mucheche acknowledged the importance of collaboration between UN OCHA and the military in facilitating the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance across the North East.
She described the roundtable as a platform for practical engagement between humanitarian and military actors to improve programme implementation and strengthen the overall humanitarian response.
Mucheche called for enhanced patrols along major supply routes and raised concerns over the threat posed by unexploded ordnance, while stressing the need to protect communities to which IDPs had been relocated.
In his closing remarks, the Deputy Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force North East, OPHK, Air Vice Marshal OF Akinboyewa, said the issues discussed at the roundtable directly affected the ability of communities to return home, pursue livelihoods and rebuild their lives safely.
He noted that sustained military operations had continued to degrade the capabilities of JAS and ISWAP, thereby creating greater security space for humanitarian action, stabilisation and restoration of normal life.
“Military success must ultimately be measured by the extent to which citizens can live, move and pursue their livelihoods without fear,” Akinboyewa said.
He reaffirmed OPHK’s commitment to securing critical routes and population centres, protecting civilian livelihoods, strengthening oversight and discipline among hybrid forces and maintaining a predictable coordination framework with humanitarian partners based on trust, timely information and mutual respect.
Akinboyewa assured that the concerns and recommendations raised during the roundtable would be carefully considered and followed through, stressing that the collective objective was to move communities from emergency assistance towards recovery, resilience and sustainable development.
He said Operation HADIN KAI would continue to deepen its partnership with the humanitarian community towards restoring stability, dignity and normalcy across the North East.
