News
Details Of Buhari’s Meeting With Chad President, Deby, Emerge
- Deby bemoaned the infrequent operations of task force
- “The resilience of Boko Haram and the Islamic states in the Lake Chad Basin has been unprecedented” – Deby
Président Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday hosted his Chadian counterpart, Idriss Déby, at the presidential villa in Aso Rock, Abuja.
The details of the meeting between the president of the two West African nations have now come to the fore.
On the issue of insurgency that has ravaged the north eastern part of Nigeria and some part of the Chadian territory for years on end, Déby, said sustained operations of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) could annihilate Boko Haram and end insurgency.
MNJTF is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military forces, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
Déby who spoke with state house correspondents on after the meeting, bemoaned the infrequent nature of task force operations which he said had gravely affected the effort to rid the region of insurgency, noting that the task force has not been carrying out enough of its required activities.
According to him, a situation where the MNJTF embarks on just one operation in a whole year has also contributed to the difficulty in defeating the terrorists.
“Boko Haram is indeed an evil that has hampered the four countries of the Lake Chad Basin and it has done much harm to our populations,” he said.
“It would be remembered that since 2013/2014, the four countries put together their means to create the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The MNJTF has had good results.
“Unfortunately, the resilience of Boko Haram and the Islamic states in the Lake Chad Basin has been unprecedented. They are being supplied, being trained, and being formed through Libya.
“The MNJTF has done a lot of work and as you have seen recently, we’ve had exchanges on this with my brother on the way ahead.”
Déby expressed optimism that with new strategies being deployed and new officers with fresh ideas being assigned to take over commands at both national and regional levels, the menace of various terror groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP), would be addressed permanently.
“With the new team of the chief of defence staff and the new commander that has been appointed at the Multinational Joint Task Force, they are convinced that we can eradicate Boko Haram,” he added.
“There’s a lot of hope on this new team, with this new strategy. I remain confident that the four armies of the four countries can finish this evil and eradicate Boko Haram once and for all.
“All the countries participating are taking responsibility. None of them is shirking their responsibilities and the military of all the countries also have that sense of responsibility of what needs to be done and what their obligation is, which is to protect all the countries.”
Earlier at the meeting with the Chadian president, Buhari had called for the recharging of Lake Chad, through the transfer of water from the Congo basin.
In a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari noted that “with inter-basin water transfer, farming, fishing, animal husbandry would resume, and curtail irregular migration of youths, who now dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, to get into Europe, seeking greener pastures”.
He also commended Chad for its efforts in addressing insurgency.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
President Buhari Urges Leaders To Lead By Example
Biden Invites Buhari To Climate Change Summit
BREAKING: Buhari Meets Chad President In Aso Rock
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
