Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of international support for the Nigerian authorities in tackling Boko Haram.

Nigeria faces a serious threat from Boko Haram. More than 3,000 people have been killed by the group this year and over 1.5 million have been displaced.

Addressing the threat from Boko Haram is primarily the responsibility of the Nigerian authorities. However, the UK, along with other international partners is providing support to Nigeria and its neighbours in their efforts to defeat Boko Haram. This support includes a range of intelligence, military and development assistance both to support current operations and to help tackle the long term causes of instability. I led the UK delegation to the last meeting of regional foreign ministers on 3 September in Abuja. I stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation.

As with all countries, we regularly review the assistance we provide to ensure that it is having maximum effect on the ground.