Boko Haram: Nigeria, neighbours to deploy troops July

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: To chad (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.
“In this regard, I urge that all necessary steps be immediately taken to reinvigorate the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU).”
President Buhari noted the common resolve and commitment of member states to maintain the momentum in degrading the capacity of the insurgents until they are completely defeated.
“I had raised this issue at my meeting with the G7 leaders, while I am encouraged by their support, I also urge you to garner the support of your international friends and partners to sustain this campaign”, he said.  He also said the campaign against Boko Haram must be seen within the wider context of the global war against terror.
“Terrorism has no frontiers and must, because of the great implication for regional and global peace and security, be defeated, he said”.
The president advised against a proposal presented at the meeting to rotate leadership of the command and control structure of the Multinational Joint Task Force.
He said while he agreed that this was a joint operation with shared responsibilities, he was of the opinion that military operations subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, every six months as being proposed did not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency.
“Such a process will undermine, even if it is not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and re-jig their operational strategies”, he said.
He urged his colleagues to allow Nigeria to retain the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort.
According to him, this command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy since Nigeria would be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.
Thanking member-states for their unwavering support to Nigeria in the campaign against the insurgency, the Nigeria president said the nation deeply regretted the loss of gallant soldiers in the battle as well as numerous civilians who had died in the cruel hands of the insurgents.
He commiserated with families of the fallen gallant soldiers, saying: “We fervently pray that this war will soon come to an end and that the much needed peace and security and progress will be ushered into our sub-region”.
Also in attendance were Ministers of Defence of Niger, Chad and Benin as well as the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Sanusi Imran Abdullahi.
The commission is made up of Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic, but Benin Republic is co-opted as a strategic partner in war against insurgency.