Chad's President Idriss Deby has called for a
creation of a regional task force to tackle the Islamist militant group
Boko Haram. The group works manly in northern Nigeria, but Deby
said its activities are raising concerns about its threat to its neighbours
around Lake Chad.
Chad's leader noted: “Our basin is exposed to insecurity
because of the permanent threat posed by Boko Haram."
Nigeria has been struggling to curtail Boko Haram activities
for months. The group wants to overthrow the government and impose Islamic law
across the country.
On Monday 30 April, a suicide attack on a police station in
Taraba state, which borders Cameroon, killed at least 11 people. No-one has
claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Boko Haram has carried out numerous
similar attacks across northern Nigeria, targeting government offices, churches,
mosques and local amenities.
Speaking about Boko Haram activities, Deby said: “I am
demanding the creation of a joint deterrence force. We have to make this
decision here today," President Deby told a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin
Commission, which includes Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and the Central
African Republic…"If we don't eradicate them, we won't be capable of saving our
Lake Chad."
Some experts believe the group is making connections with the
al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb, which has mainly been active
in the Sahara region.
It is estimated that since Boko Haram first came to prominence
in 2009 it has claimed more than 1,000 lives, both Muslim and Christian.
Hundreds of its own followers were killed when they attacked a police stations
in Maiduguri, northern Nigeria. Its founder, Mohammed Yusuf,
was arrested but died in police custody.
Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AFP
For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.
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