Several human rights organizations are criticizing a recent multi-million dollar arms deal between the United States and Nigeria, whose military is regularly accused of killing civilians with impunity.

Last week, Washington approved a $346 million arms sale to Nigeria, including bombs, rockets, and ammunition, to help Africa's most populous country strengthen its operations against jihadist groups in the northeast, armed gangs in the northwest and center, and separatists in the southeast.

The security situation in Nigeria is critical and civilians often find themselves caught in the crossfire.

Last May, the Nigerian Air Force bombed a local vigilante group in the northwestern state of Zamfara, mistaking them for criminal gangs, according to residents interviewed by AFP.

The army responded that the strikes were aimed at "terrorists."

The annual report on human rights in Nigeria, released by the US State Department last week, documents airstrikes causing civilian deaths and acts of torture committed by the military.

Upon the announcement of the sale, US officials were "conspicuously silent on the record of serious human rights violations attributed to the Nigerian military, as well as on the measures, if any, that will be put in place," said Anietie Ewang, a researcher for the NGO Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

The US Congress, which has the power to suspend such sales, "really needs to ask these tough questions that the State Department is avoiding," she added in an interview with AFP.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in airstrikes in Nigeria in recent years, incidents sometimes disputed by authorities.

Spokespeople for the Nigerian military and the U.S. embassy in Abuja did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

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According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States is Nigeria's third-largest arms supplier, behind China and Russia, but now faces competition from Turkey, Brazil, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.

"The United States remains a beacon of democracy and must continue to be an example of respect for human rights," Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, told AFP, calling on Washington to monitor the use of its weapons.

Sadeeq Shehu, a former spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, described the arms sale as "very good news" in an interview with Arise News television, seeing it as evidence of increased measures to protect civilians.

"There are other suppliers, but for some things you have to get them from the Americans," he added.

Between 2000 and 2021, Washington provided Nigeria with "security sector assistance" worth nearly €200 million, weapons worth €510 million, and private US companies supplied military equipment worth €262 million, according to a Brown University report.

But alleged corruption and human rights abuses in Nigeria have sometimes strained relations between the two countries.

Under President Barack Obama, Washington blocked arms sales to Nigeria, prioritizing cooperation with Chad and Niger in the fight against Boko Haram.

In 2021, the US Congress temporarily blocked the sale of a military helicopter, citing human rights concerns, before ultimately approving the deal.

Malik Samuel, a researcher for the NGO Good Governance Africa, also questions the effectiveness of military operations.

"You cannot tell me that Boko Haram factions or even bandits have more sophisticated weapons," he said, calling on Abuja to focus more on strategy and intelligence.