FG Resumes Negotiation With Boko Haram Again President Goodluck Jonathan’s 7-man secret committee, which is charged with the task of renewing talks with Boko Haram sect has opened dialogue with leaders of the group, Sunday Trust can reveal. The 7-man committee, which is headed by the Minister of Special Duties, Barrister Kabiru Turaki, is made up of five members of the previous Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, one member of a Civil Society Organisation and a top army personnel. While setting up the committee, named “President’s Committee on Continuous Dialogue and Resolution Challenges in North,” Jonathan gave them a five-point agenda, including: • To continue from where the previous committee stopped in its task and particularly engage any group that may be ready for dialogue; • To develop, together with relevant agencies of government, a frame-work for the granting of amnesty; • To develop and implement, together with relevant agencies of government, the frame-work for disarmament; and • To develop, with the relevant agencies of government, a comprehensive victims support programme and strategies for its implementation to further the development of strategies and mechanisms to address the underlining causes of insurgencies to prevent reoccurrence.” We learnt last night that already the committee has established links with leaders of the Boko Haram sect in several states, and some of them have expressed willingness to work with the committee. “The committee is re-establishing links with leaders of Boko Haram in Bauchi, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, who, during the previous dialogue had expressed the willingness to assist in resolving the conflict. Those that the committee are in talks with are not in detention; they are living in various parts of the North. Previously they had told the committee that it was possible to work out disarmament with members of the sect in various cells. They are quite willing, and in the last two weeks, the new committee members have linked up with them,” a source told us. Our reporter learnt further that under the new atmosphere, government was prepared to provide funds for the repair of churches, mosques and homes which were destroyed during the insurgency, so as to bring relief to many other victims who are still alive. In a previous interview with us, Barrister Turaki claimed that the presidential committee made a tremendous breakthrough, for which government should build upon. He had said, “Our greatest achievements are one, we were able to establish links with the insurgents, both the Jama’at Ahl-as Sunnah lid-da’wah wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) and the Ansaru sects. We’ve been able to change their thinking and position about dialogue. We’ve been able to make them realise that despite whatever differences they may have with government, arising from whatever situation or circumstance, that dialogue is inevitable, especially regarding their position as Muslims. “Two, we’ve been able to supply them strong verses from the Holy Quran, not only the views expressed by and contained in the Hadith and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but also the views of great Islamic scholars. And three, that we were able to get them to agree to talk to us at all is a great achievement. Establishing links with them is one thing, but to be able to get them to come out and talk with us is, perhaps, the committee’s greatest achievement. “Beyond that, we’ve been able to build confidence. When we started, members of the sects were skeptical, suspicious actually, of the intentions of government and those of the committee. For us to make them overcome those suspicions and win their confidence was no mean feat. Despite the fact that they had tremendous respect for individual members of the committee, they were still suspicious of them coming together as a committee constituted by government. So for us, to be able to win their confidence was a rare achievement. The committee had while submitting its report to President Jonathan on November 5, 2013 recommended, among others, the setting up of an advisory committee on continuous dialogue. It also recommended the setting up of Victims Support Fund for casualties of insurgency to be administered by a new agency established specifically to assist the victims.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 17:29:27 +0000