By Miriam Humbe
The Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), on Tuesday hosted a series of high-level visits by key international humanitarian partners and regional stakeholders, underscoring strengthened civil–military cooperation, humanitarian access, and regional economic stability in Borno State.
Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the
Media Information Officer
Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI disclosed this in a statement signed on Wednesday.
Leading the engagements was the Team Leader and Deputy Director, Department of Field Operations, United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UN DSS), Mrs Florence Paussin, who visited from OPHK from New York to deepen collaboration aimed at safely delivering humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities across the North East region.
Mrs Paussin commended OPHK for its professionalism and ongoing efforts to safeguard civilians and humanitarian workers.
She said the visit was to better understand the prevailing security environment and to strengthen partnership with OPHK, particularly in securing escorts that would enable UN personnel to access communities in need.
She reaffirmed UN DSS’ commitment to supporting OPHK in achieving its mandate.
The Theatre Commander Joint Task Force ( North East ) Operation HADIN KAI, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the critical role UN DSS plays in facilitating humanitarian operations.
He noted that OPHK conducts both kinetic and non-kinetic operations, with humanitarian support remaining a key priority.
The Theatre Commander briefed the delegation adding that while the security situation has largely been contained, vigilance remains essentialat all levels.
He assured UN DSS of sustained security support for its operations across the theatre.
In a similar engagement, the Team Leader and Head of Operations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr Yanich Buvhili, led a delegation to OPHK, calling for continued collaboration to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian and medical services to internally displaced persons and vulnerable communities in Borno State.
Mr Buvhili praised OPHK for its support to ICRC operations, particularly in enabling access for family reunification, healthcare delivery, immunisation, and nutrition programmes.
He sought deeper collaboration to enhance operational effectiveness amid prevailing challenges.
Major General Abubakar described the ICRC as a dependable partner and commended its contributions to restoring normalcy and supporting livelihoods through humanitarian assistance.
He reaffirmed OPHK’s commitment to support ICRC activities, noting that improved security conditions—bolstered by ongoing operations—have enhanced humanitarian access across the state.
All the visits featured the signing of visitors’ registers, presentation of souvenirs, and group photographs. Present at the engagements were the Deputy Theatre Commander OPHK, Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, along with senior staff officers and personnel of Operation HADIN KAI.
