(Adds Action Against Hunger statement)
By Ahmed Kingmini
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Nigeria has
temporarily lifted a suspension of the operations of two aid
groups, Mercy Corps and Action Against Hunger, in the country's
northeast.
The army forced both groups to close some of their offices
in September, accusing Action Against Hunger of aiding terrorist
groups and alleging that a large amount of money in a car found
in northeastern Borno state belonged to Mercy Corps.
Mercy Corps country director Darius Radcliffe issued a
statement on Thursday welcoming the decision, announced on
Wednesday evening, by the minister of humanitarian affairs, and
saying the group would resume work as quickly as possible:
"After nearly five weeks without support, the vulnerable
populations that we serve cannot afford to wait any longer."
Action Against Hunger thanked the ministry, the humanitarian
community and its donors for their assistance in getting the
suspension lifted, and said it was time for the communities they
serve to get the "lifesaving assistance that they have not been
able to access for the last six weeks".
It has previously rejected the accusation of aiding and
abetting a terrorist organisation - an allusion to the Islamist
insurgency in the northeast.
Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq told a news
conference in the capital Abuja that the concerns raised by the
army would "continue to receive attention and scrutiny", and
that the government would take new steps to vet and monitor all
humanitarian groups working in the region.
The measures will include requiring non-governmental
organisations to register and be vetted by the government before
they can start work, and to submit monthly reports that include
the amount and source of their fund-raising and the number of
people they assist.
New rules will also dictate where NGOs purchase fuel and
other "sensitive" items and how they can transfer cash.
A decade-long insurgency by Boko Haram has caused the deaths
of some 30,000 people and driven 2 million to flee their homes.
In 2016, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) split off from Boko
Haram; it has launched its own attacks in the region.
The United Nations has described the situation in Nigeria's
northeast as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises,
estimating that 7.1 million people need assistance.