President Muhammadu Buhari stated at the
Second Regional Security Summit yesterday in Abuja that the Nigerian
armed forces had considerably degraded the Boko Haram terrorist sect.
Buhari, however, stressed that dislodging the group from the Sambisa
forest in Borno State, where its fighters are currently holed up
following heavy bombardment by the military, and freeing the kidnapped
Chibok schoolgirls were the major tasks still left.
This was as the European Union pledged to
support the Multinational Joint Taskforce, a sub-regional security
outfit, with 50 million Euros. Vice President and High Representative of
the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Federica
Mogherini, disclosed this at the Abuja summit. The MNJTF was
reactivated in the wake of the Boko Haram insurgency to coordinate the
fight against the sect and other acts of terrorism within the West
African sub-region.
The United States Deputy Secretary of
State, Mr. Anthony Blinken, told the conference that his country had
contributed over $250 million to the on-going fight against terrorism,
in addition to other resources.
In a related development, the United
Nations Security Council, in a statement yesterday in New York, hailed
the Second Regional Security Summit and the efforts of the regional
leaders to present a united front against terrorism. The Security
Council condemned the abuses and atrocities being perpetrated by Boko
Haram, warning that the culprits may be charged with war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
The Second Regional Security Summit in
Abuja was attended by President of France, Francois Hollande, and seven
regional leaders, including the presidents of Chad, Cameroun, Niger,
Benin, Senegal and Gabon. Though, other Western countries and
institutions were represented at the summit, Hollande was the only
Western leader present, underscoring France’s crucial involvement in the
fight against terrorism in the continent. Hollande had hosted the First
Regional Security Summit in Paris on May 17, 2014.
Speaking at the summit yesterday, Buhari
said he had significantly fulfilled his promise to rout Boko Haram,
which has wreaked havoc in the Nigeria’s North-east since 2009, and
spread its activities to countries within the Lake Chad Basin.
He said, “When I started, our first task
was to improve our security infrastructure and strengthen our regional
and international alliances. We have degraded Boko Haram and squeezed
them into a small enclave in Sambisa forest. What remains is the
dislodgement of terrorists from their hideouts from the Sambisa forest
and liberate the Chibok girls and others. Boko Haram now resorts to hit
and run tactics.”
Buhari stated that the country’s military
operations against terrorists had followed acceptable international
standards. “We have not only observed human rights and international
humanitarian law in our military operations, we have also diligently
implemented several proactive programmes. Today, we have achieved
significant outcomes. Boko Haram is no longer a cohesive force, but a
group of self-seeking individuals pursuing personal glory,” he said.
The president listed some of the feats
recorded at both bilateral and multilateral levels since the Paris
summit in 2014 to include recovery of all the territories occupied by
the terrorist group; establishment of special military units by Nigeria,
Niger, Chad and Cameroon to prosecute the war on terror; admission of
Benin Republic to the group to strengthen the regional coalition;
establishment of the Regional Intelligence Fusion in Abuja and its
operation; and strengthening border security among member states.
Buhari said the regional alliance had
also set up the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre (ICC), based in
Yaounde, Cameroon, under the aegis of the Gulf of Guinea Commission
(GGC), to coordinate and disseminate intelligence and security
information to all member states. It has reactivated the MNJTF with
8,500 officers and men, drawn from Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and
Benin, with headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad, he said.
He stressed, “These achievements would
not have been possible without the steadfast support, invaluable
contributions and sacrifices of my brothers, the Presidents of Cameroun,
Chad, Niger as well as the Republic of Benin. I am convinced that the
great solidarity and good neighbourliness that have been displayed by
all countries in the region would be a model for other regions faced
with similar challenges.
“Our hope, therefore, is that this
meeting would be a turning-point for our collective efforts to achieve a
conflict free, peaceful and stable region, where development and good
governance thrive.”
Buhari vowed to ensure that the Chibok
girls and others held by Boko Haram were rescued. The girls had been
kidnapped from their hotel in April 2014 while they were preparing to
write the Senior School Certificate Examination.
“Let me reiterate our firm commitment to
safely rescue and re-unite the abducted Chibok girls with their
families. Our government will not spare any effort to achieve this
important mission,” he vowed.
He said the MNJTF would be strengthened to rid the region of the last vestiges of Boko Haram.
On the need to address the root causes of
terrorism and articulate a post-conflict development plan, Buhari said,
“Only by bringing development to the areas affected by the insurgency
and by protecting the victims and the IDPs and refugees, can we assure
genuine recovery for conflict devastated areas.”
According to the president, the long-term
development of the Lake Chad Region is crucial to reducing the high
poverty rate in the basin, a major factor in the recruitment of
terrorists. “Implementing the Lake Chad Development Resilience Action
Plan (LCDCRAP), which was submitted to donor countries and organisations
at the Conference of Parties (COP 21) side event on the Lake Chad,
therefore, remains a vital challenge. The total cost of the short and
medium term development of the Lake Chad Region is estimated to be in
the region of €916 million,” he disclosed.
Fielding questions from journalists
during the post-even press conference, Buhari spoke on the Civilian JTF,
a vigilante group helping in the fight against Boko Haram, and the link
between the terrorist group and ISIS. He stated, “Civilian JTF is an
initiative of the states where Boko Haram is prevalent. So they have
volunteered to assist in stabilising the security situation. Disarming
them will not be a problem and for some of them that meet the criteria
we can be trained and absorbed in some sort of formal security set up.”
The president added, “Up till now we
don’t have intelligence if ISIS has been able to send weapons and even
money to the Boko Haram.”
Hollande, during the press conference,
pledged full cooperation with Nigeria and other countries of the Lake
Chad Basin Commission, especially, in the area of intelligence sharing
and resources.
“We acknowledged that Boko Haram has been
significantly defeated. However, we must be wary as they will
increasingly resort to suicide bombing, which will require a lot of
intelligence to tackle,” the French president said.
In a similar vein, the president of
Gabon, Omar Bongo, called for closer cooperation among the African
countries and world leaders in dealing with the terrorism.
“Africa has to close ranks and work
together if we are to achieve a conflict free region. Also violent
extremism, especially, amongst youths usually found expression in the
place of unemployment and social instability,” Bongo said.
The United States Deputy Secretary of
State, Blinken, said, “The fight against Boko Haram is a fight for the
future and stability of the region,” advising that the summit should
develop a comprehensive strategy to defeat the terrorists not only in
the country but also across the region.
He added, “Liberating the communities
from Boko Haram is not enough, we have to stabilise and rebuild them and
as well as reviving their economic activities. None of us can afford a
lost generation and that is why we have given over $250 million to the
region in the last two years.”
Blinken said, “US is also committed to
the rescue and return of Chibok girls and others kidnapped by group.
Boko Haram can be defeated through the people, by investing in young
girls as well as boys.”
The British Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Common Wealth Office, Phil Hammon, said combating terrorism was a
global challenge that required cautious optimism because of its complex
nature. Hammon also expressed worry over increasing links and
cooperation between Boko Haram and ISIS, noting that both groups do not
represent the true teachings of Islam.
He said, “Boko Haram claims that they
propagate and proclaim Islam. They do not. It’s an alarming of the
growing cooperation between Daesh and Boko Haram. This presents a
dangerous alliance. We are however, dedicated to cooperate with you to
defeat these terrorists that have posed.
“We must be prepared for a long war
because defeating Boko Haram extremism could be a complex and long one
as we have experienced with Daesh in Iraq. We have trained 1,500
personnels for deployment for the counter-insurgency operations in the
North Eats. The UK personnels are also on ground to assist with our
experience in dealing with IEDS.”
Mogherini said the EU would contribute
€50 million to the MNJTF to assist in defeating Boko Haram in the
North-east and the Lake Chad region.
She stated, “The national contingents
operate bilaterally and as part of the MNJTF have since been deployed
and are conducting operations. The force however, needs the necessary
infrastructure and transport and communication assets to allow it
effectively coordinate and command operations.
“In the context of the EU-AU partnership,
as reconfirmed during the donor conference organised by the African
Union Commission early February 2016, the European Commission adopted in
April 2016, a financing decision setting aside €50 million from the
African Peace Facility in support of the MNJTF against Boko Haram.”
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