Brussels, 23/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EU has spoken out in the strongest possible terms against the bomb attacks carried out on 20 January in Kano, in northern Nigeria, for which the Islamic group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility. In a declaration published on Sunday 22 January, Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, says that she is “profoundly shocked and saddened by the latest wave of terrorist attacks that killed more than 150 innocent citizens”, and expresses her condolences for the victims and their families.
The EU “rejects terrorism as a means to any end. It pledges its support to the vast majority of Nigerian citizens, who have a long tradition of religious and social tolerance, and who seek to live in peace with their neighbours (…). We offer our support to the Nigerian people and government in overcoming this threat to their way of life and their country's stability and democracy”, says Ashton. The EU and the Nigerian authorities will discuss this situation in the coming days, to identify “ways and means of concrete action”. (AN/transl.fl)