An worldwide summit to seek a solution of Boko Haram issue has begun in Abuja, Nigeria. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was at the summit along with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Advertisement
But some 20,000 have been killed, and over 2 million displaced, since Boko Haram launched its insurgency seven years ago.
The African Union-backed force was supposed to have begun combating Boko Haram by July previous year.
France’s Hollande, who arrived in Abuja late on Friday from the Central African Republic, met his Nigerian counterpart Buhari at the presidential villa before the start of the summit.
Nigerian officials say that a year-long military campaign, in conjunction with a West African drive against Boko Haram, has significantly depleted the terrorist group’s resources.
In a statement approved by all 15 council members it demanded Boko Haram “immediately and unequivocally cease all violence and all abuses of human rights and violations of global humanitarian law”.
Plugging gaps and improving coordination between armies operating largely independently is seen as vital, with Boko Haram now thought to be in remote border areas on and around Lake Chad.
Hollande urged the worldwide community to do more, warning about the humanitarian situations in the countries of the Lake Chad Basin – mainly Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon – under attack from Boko Haram.
President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed where the deadly Boko Haram sect was getting its arms and ammunition, Vanguard reports.
Hollande dubbed Boko Haram, which has declared allegiance to the Islamic State armed group, “the most murderous terrorist group in the world”.
Mr Blinken added: “So these are all elements that suggests that there are more contacts and more co-operation, and this is again something that we are looking at very carefully because we want to cut it off”.
Buhari said this while fielding questions from newsmen at the closing of the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja.
Since 2015, the four countries that share Lake Chad – Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger – have significantly weakened Boko Haram but have been unable to vanquish the Islamists entirely.
But Buhari said an estimated 960 million euros was required for short- and medium-term development in the Lake Chad region.
Advertisement
The Foreign Secretary has pledged to give Nigeria £40m to help the fight against Boko Haram – and praised the president’s “strong leadership” just days after David Cameron called the country “fantastically corrupt”. Its members have committed, abductions, rape and murder and we must continue to wage the war against this group with tenacity.
