Boko Haram: Nigeria, neighbours to deploy troops July
Buhari to redeem $100m pledge to MNJTF
Nigeria and its four neighbours have approved the immediate deployment of troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) within seven weeks in a fresh effort to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency.
President Muhammadu Buhari and four other leaders - Presidents Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger); Idriss Deby (Chad); Paul Biya (Cameroon) represented by his Minister of Defence Mebe Ngo’o Edgard Alain; and Boni Yayi (Benin Republic) approved the deployment at the end of a one day meeting in Abuja yesterday.
Their decisions are contained in the communiqué read by the Minister of Defence of Chad, Aridjo Muhammadu and Nigeria’s Permanent Secretary, Defence, Aliyu Ismail.
The meeting withdrew a proposal to rotate the leadership of the task force following the objection to that by President Buhari.
The post of the Force Commander has now been given to Nigeria until the end of the mission.
The leaders however approved two other key posts of responsibility namely Deputy Force Commander: Cameroun (Rotational every 12 Months), Chief of Staff: Tchad (Rotational every 12 months).
It also approved the funding of the sum of $30 million (thirty million US dollars) for the installation and equipping of the MNJTF Headquarters and the establishment of the Executive Secretariat as the Headquarters of the Mission and the Executive Secretary of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) being the Head of Mission.
The meeting requested the African Union’s support to the MNJTF in its operations, logistics and general mission support by mobilizing financial support.
The headquarters of the task force is based at N’Djamena, Chad while troops are expected to be deployed by 30th July.
It resolved to seek the support of strategic partners, notably European Union, France, United Kingdom and United States of America in favour of the MNJTF and request the President of the UN Security Council to make a declarative statement in support of MNJTF Operations against the Boko Haram terrorist group.
It also adopted the Emergency Plan for Development in the Lake Chad Basin.
It noted that the operations significantly broke down the military capability of the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The commission, however, agreed on the need to keep on this drive marked by solidarity in action by taking decisive measures to totally curb Boko Haram insurgency.
The meeting agreed on the need to support military operations with an emergency development plan in favour of vulnerable populations in the region in order to fight against the root causes of insecurity relating to poverty.
The communiqué thanked the Chairman of the Summit, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger for calling the meeting and President Muhammadu Buhari for hosting it. In his opening remarks President Buhari had proposed that the war against Boko Haram be waged on all fronts as a way of ending the insurgency.
He promised to redeem Nigeria’s pledge of $100 million to the Multinational Joint Task Force.
The meeting held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja yesterday.
Buhari said the campaign against insurgency “must be directed on all fronts, starting from limiting their capacity to access funds and weapons.
“We must, therefore, strengthen our cross border patrols and increase our capacity to gather and share intelligence.