West African leaders to seek AUapproval for a multi-national force to fight Boko Haram Leaders in the West African regional block-the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed unanimously to seek the approval of the African Union (AU) to create a multi-national force to quell the insurgency of Boko Haram militants in Nigeria. Speaking in the Ghanaian capital Accra over the weekend, President John Dramani Mahama who is also the current chairperson of ECOWAS said the Boko Haram issue cannot be solved by a single country. This Boko Haram problem is not a problem for asingle country. It threatens everybody in the sub region. And if we do not act now, it will be too late for us in the near future. We are confident that the creation of this new force will stop the militants, he said.ECOWAS leaders are due to meet thisweek and the dominant agenda will be how to stop the Boko Haram insurgency which has devastated northern Nigeria. President Mahama however conceded that it will take months before an African Union forcecould be set up and key issues such as financing and commanding are not yet decided and cannot be decided in the upcoming ECOWAS session. But security experts say the African Union might not necessarily bring extra troops but would seek a United Nations Security Council approval to take over the operation like what happened in Darfur in Sudan in 2005.Critics have also said Nigeria and theentire ECOWAS body left it too late to send troops to fight Boko Haram. Cameroon who has been fighting Boko Haram appealed for military help against Boko Haram this month.Boko Haram sparked an internationaloutrage last year when it abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in the town of Chibok in Borno State. The Nigerian military has woefully failed to defend civilians against the militants’ frequent attacks in the northeastern part of the country. It has therefore allowed Boko Haram to consolidate its territorial annexation for an Islamic Caliphate State.Boko Haram six-year insurgency has intensified this year. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said Boko Haram killed more than 4,000 civilians last year. Boko Haram which means Western education is forbidden sees schoolsand colleges as a symbol of Western culture. It has vowed to eradicate such institutions and create an Islamic state in the north of the country.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:52:13 +0000
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