World Bulletin / News Desk

 Switzerland has pledged $8 million for humanitarian services for the victims of Nigeria's Boko Haram militant group and for investigations into the causes of the insurgency, a senior Swiss official said.

Daniel Cavegn, acting ambassador/charge d’affairs at Switzerland’s embassy in Nigeria, who was in the city of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria earlier this week, said Switzerland had been closely following the Boko Haram crisis, both in Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad region.

He said the Swiss government was not only interested in helping affected areas, but also wanted to investigate the root causes of the Boko Haram insurgency with a view to curtailing its spread to other African nations.

“We have contributed $8 million not just to Nigeria, but also to neighboring countries… around Lake Chad to support the people affected by the Boko Haram crisis,” Covegn told local officials during a visit to the area. 

“We have done a lot to increase humanitarian aid to the northeastern states ravaged by Boko Haram, though this may not be enough,” he said.

It was the second visit by a senior Swiss official to the volatile area since the Boko Haram insurgency began some six years ago.