…Sect kills six in fresh Borno raid
Boko Haram has a new commander willing to
negotiate with the Muhammadu Buhari
administration, Chad’s President Idriss Deby
announced Wednesday, fueling speculation that
the extremist group’s previous commander has
been killed.
Rumours of the death of Abubakar Shekau have
grown since the leader has not appeared for
months in videos broadcast by the Islamic
militant group.
“There is somebody apparently called Mahamat
Daoud who is said to have replaced Abubakar
Shekau, and he wants to negotiate with the
Nigerian government,” Deby said in comments
broadcast by Chad state radio. He did not say
where the information came from.
“I would not advise negotiating with a terrorist,”
said Deby, though he himself led one failed
attempt last year. Other attempts under the
immediate past government of Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan also failed, partly because the group is
believed to be fractured into several factions.
President Buhari has said his government is
open to talks, but also would pursue the military
option.
Deby said a five-nation regional army based in
Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, would be deployed in
days and predicted it would destroy Boko Haram
by year’s end. He said the group already has
been “decapitated.”
However, the sect has continued its reign of
terror, killing at least six people during a raid
outside Maiduguri in Borno State on Tuesday, a
police officer said.
A Camerounian soldier also died during a cross-
border incursion from neighbouring Nigeria by
Boko Haram militants, a senior Cameroonian
military source said.
In the fighting near Maiduguri, the militants
entered Bale Mamman village to rustle livestock
on Tuesday evening, police chief Aderemi
Opadokun said. “Before the arrival of troops, six
persons were shot dead,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment