Thursday 13 August 2015

Boko Haram names new leader to replace Shekau, says Chad’s president


Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has been replaced by Mahamat Daoud as head of the Islamist militants, Chad President, Idriss Deby, has said.

Daoud wants to negotiate with Nigeria’s government, he said in a broadcast on Wednesday on state-owned radio.

“The war will be short,” Deby said. “It will end before the end of the year and Boko Haram will disappear with the establishment of the joint force,” he said, referring to plans to boost co-ordination among West African troops.

Chad, Niger and Cameroon are part of a multinational force to counter the growing threat that Boko Haram poses in the region. The group’s home ground is northeastern Nigeria, where it has killed thousands of people in a six-year campaign to establish its version of Shariah, or Islamic law.

The 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force, with troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, commanded by Nigerian Major General Iliya Abba, will spearhead efforts to combat the insurgent group.

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