In a bid to stem the attacks in North-eastern Nigeria and neighbouring countries, Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroun and Benin Republic at the weekend pledged to deploy 8,700 troops, police and civilians as part of a regional effort to fight Boko Haram terrorists.
“The representatives of Benin, Cameroun, Niger, Nigeria and Chad have announced contributions totalling 8,700 military personnel, police and civilians,” the countries said in a statement after a meeting in Cameroun’s capital, Yaounde.
The announcement came out of a three-day summit focused on organising the force that will battle the Islamist militants, who are engaged in a worsening six-year insurgency centred in Northeastern Nigeria.
However, it may be some time before the multinational effort goes into action, as nations will continue in coming days to thrash out the details of each government’s contribution as well as the budget.
Country representatives at the summit agreed to launch a mission to “foster a safe and secure environment in the impacted regions” and tackle an insurgency that has killed at least 13,000 people and pushed more than a million from their homes since 2009, reported the AFP.
African Union leaders will submit the plan for the force crafted by Western and African experts to the UN Security Council for approval.
Boko Haram attacks have increasingly spilled over from Nigeria into neighbouring nations.
Their first major assault in Niger on Friday triggered a forcible response from Chadian and Nigerien troops.
Niger’s defence minister reported that 109 of the Islamists were killed in the fighting, along with four soldiers and a civilian. Seventeen other troops were wounded.
The United States said it condemned the attack in the “strongest possible terms” and pledged support for regional forces.
“This unchecked killing must stop,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. “We continue to provide support to governments in the region, including through intelligence sharing, and are increasing our support for these efforts.”
US intelligence officials said Friday that while Boko Haram is flush with cash and weapons after a string of battlefield advances, the terrorists could face a tougher fight with Nigeria’s neighbours.
The military intervention of neighbouring powers could potentially be a “game changer in a positive way,” one intelligence official said.
Meanwhile, Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai at the weekend called for global support to help release more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, as they marked 300 days as hostages.
“As we mark this tragic 300th day of captivity for hundreds of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls, I call on people everywhere to join me in demanding urgent action to free these heroic girls,” she said.
