African Union condemns Maiduguri bombings, stands with Nigeria

The African Union has added its voice to the international chorus of condemnation following devastating suicide bombings in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, which claimed multiple lives and left many others injured on March 16, 2026.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 18, AU Commission Chairperson H.E. Mahmoud Youssouf expressed deep sorrow over the attacks and extended the continental body’s condolences to the families of the victims, while wishing a swift recovery to all those who sustained injuries.

“The African Union stands in full solidarity with the Government and people of Nigeria during this difficult time,” the statement read, a declaration of continental solidarity with a country that has borne a disproportionate share of the terrorism burden in West and Central Africa over the past decade and a half.

Chairperson Youssouf used the occasion to reaffirm the AU’s categorical rejection of all forms of violence carried out by terrorist groups and extremists, describing such acts as grave violations of human rights that strike at the foundations of peace and community stability.

The Commission also took a moment to acknowledge the efforts of Nigerian authorities and Borno State officials in their ongoing campaign against terrorism, recognizing the difficulty and danger of that work while calling for it to continue.

But the AU’s statement went beyond condemnation and commendation to issue a broader call to the international community. The bombings in Maiduguri, the AU noted, are a reminder of the persistent and evolving threat posed by terrorism across the Lake Chad Basin region, a threat that cannot be contained by any single nation acting alone.

The continental body urged the international community to step up support for Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin region in concrete and sustained ways, through humanitarian assistance for affected populations, intelligence-sharing between security partners, capacity-building for frontline forces, and investment in the kind of long-term initiatives that address the underlying conditions in which violent extremism takes root and grows.

The AU’s closing message was one of collective resolve, that lasting peace in Nigeria and across the region can only be achieved through shared commitment, strengthened cooperation, and a recognition that terrorism is not a Nigerian problem to be solved in isolation, but a regional and global challenge that demands a regional and global response.