Abuja: The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has received international commendation for its leadership in implementing the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response-Action Plan (CHMR-AP). The commendation was made during a high-level conference on civilian protection held in Tunis, Tunisia.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the statement was made by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, highlighting the praise NAF received at the event. The two-day conference, jointly organised by the United Nations (UN) and the Tunisian Defence Forces, gathered senior military officials, representatives of regional organisations, civil society, and international partners. Participants lauded NAF's integration of civilian protection mechanisms into its operations, such as leadership oversight, dedicated training, and structured data collection frameworks.
The attendees also commended NAF's efforts in addressing target misidentification and confirmation bias, alongside its establishment of a strategic communications framework to manage civilian harm incidents. The conference featured over 100 participants, including the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix; Senegal's Minister of Armed Forces, retired Gen. Birame Diop; and Ghana's Deputy Minister for Defence, Mr. Ernest Brogyi Genyi. The forum highlighted NAF's role in advancing civilian protection across Nigeria's armed forces and emphasized the growing continental commitment to safeguarding civilian populations during military operations.
In his remarks, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, emphasized that protecting civilians remains a core constitutional obligation of the military. Represented by the Director of Cooperation and Coordination at the NAF Civil-Military Relations Branch, AVM Edward Gabkwet, Abubakar stressed the urgency of implementing the CHMR-AP, recognizing the need to balance military operations with humanitarian considerations. He asserted that NAF's operational effectiveness should never come at the expense of civilian lives, committing to ensuring that air operations reflect both precision and compassion.
Abubakar further explained that the NAF had established a CHMR Board to provide strategic oversight, activated a Civilian Harm Assessment Cell to conduct investigations, and created a dedicated department at the Air Warfare Centre to lead capacity-building efforts.