US Marines patrol the streets of Abuja as World Economic Forum on Africa begins

US Marines have begun patrolling the street of Abuja as Nigeria hosts the seventh World Economic Forum on Africa in a bid to provide security for the hundreds of delegates amid the terrorist threat from Boko Haram.

Over recent weeks, Boko Haram has stepped up its reign of terror across Nigeria, setting off two devastating bombs in Nyanya, the Federal Capital Territory satellite town. In addition, they have carried out daring raids on secondary schools, abducting 234 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State and a further 11 from the village of Warabe, also in Borno State.

However, the Nigerian government is determined not to be deterred from holding this summit, called to address Africa's socio-economic development. Lasting over three days, the summit began yesterday and is expected to be attended by over 10 heads of state and government as well as over 900 delegates from 70 countries.

Among those in Abuja at the moment, are the presidents of Algeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo. Former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and former President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, are also in Abuja, as well as over 50 chief executives of big global corporations.

To ensure security is not compromised, US president Barack Obama has sent a unit of Marines to guard delegates at the summit. This is in addition to the 6,000 Nigerian security operatives, made up of soldiers, policemen and Department of State Security personnel.

One US security source said: “They are not going to be directly involved in the World Economic Forum event as their brief is to train the Nigerian security services. It should be expected that Nigerian agents will handle the security of the summit.”

US marines are highly specialised soldiers who have been deployed in areas affected by serious conflict and terrorism, such as Afghanistan and Iraq. After the summit, the Marines are expected to help the Nigerian authorities locater the missing Chibok schoolgirls believed to have been whisked away into the Sambisa Forest.

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