The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has inaugurated a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) Board to lead the implementation of its Civilian Harm Mitigation Action Plan (CHMR-AP), aimed at strengthening operational accountability and public trust in its civilian protection measures.
NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, announced this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the “strategic initiative” reflects the NAF’s growing commitment to upholding international humanitarian law and embedding accountability in air operations.
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Ejodame said that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, while underscoring the importance of embedding civilian protection into the heart of NAF’s air power doctrine, reaffirmed NAF’s unwavering commitment to protecting civilians during operations.
“He noted that the NAF remains resolute in ensuring its missions are conducted with precision, accountability, and humanity, adding that the NAF will continue to adapt and refine our strategies to minimise harm and strengthen the legitimacy of our operations.”
According to Ejodame, the CHMR board was tasked with driving the execution of the CHMR-AP across the full spectrum of NAF’s organisational structure, including joint operational environments.
“Key responsibilities of the board include identifying, compiling, and assessing data on civilian harm incidents. This encompasses intelligence from NAF combat assessments, reports from partner nations, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, and open-source materials.
“Additionally, the NAF Civilian Harm Assessment and Investigation Cell is charged with conducting harm assessments, analysing patterns and trends, drawing lessons and monitoring implementation progress,” he said.