Nigerian Soldiers

All indications are that Nigeria’s military in collaboration with the 8500 strong  Multinational force  will launch a major assault against Boko Haram in their Sambisa Forest hideout.

The Nigerian army is expected to launch the offensive in the coming days so as “to deny Boko Haram its traditional Sambisa sanctuary”, according to Chad military sources in the capital N’Djamena.

Such an offensive has been in the offing ever since President Muhammadu Buhari took office a year ago but has yet to materialise.

“The idea is to be able to announce at the next Abuja summit (on May 14) that this sanctuary no longer exists. That is a military and also a political imperative,” said Chadian sources.

The summit will bring together leaders of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria — allied neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram — as well as French President Francois Hollande and representatives from Britain and the United States.

The multinational force is preparing its own offensive along the border with Cameroon, Chad and Niger but time is of the essence with the rainy season approaching.

The multinational force, whose HQ is at N’Djamena although each nation’s contingent is under its own command, will have access to intelligence compiled by French and US drones and fighter planes — but communications, transport and logistics hardware are in short supply.

As part of efforts to crush the insurgency, Nigeria and France on Thursday signed an agreement on closer military cooperation, including intelligence sharing.

Nigerian Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali saluted the deal as evidence of a “growing partnership” between Abuja and Paris.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a video late last month and “he still seems to be the leader and is hiding out in the Sambisa Forest,” according to a French military source.

The group is thought to number somewhere between 100,000 and 30,000. Its exact strength is hard to evaluate but the French source says that experienced fighters who have returned from Mali or Libya are no more than a small hard core.

*Reported by AFP