Nigerian, Chadian armies stepping up crackdown on Boko Haram

Ahmed Adel

The terrorist Boko Haram group launched a series of attacks in the past period with the aim of imposing control on Lake Chad, which overlooks Niger; Cameroon; Chad, and Nigeria.

The attacks prompted a response from the Nigerian army.

Boko Haram and the coronavirus

Boko Haram and the groups that defected from it have been intensifying their attacks since the emergence of the coronavirus.

In January, the local government area of Chibok, which is located in the southern part of Borno State, was the scene of a Boko Haram attack for the 20th time. The attack left ten people dead. Boko Haram militants also kidnapped 17 other people. Over 20 area residents refused to return home for fear of the attacks.

In March, Boko Haram launched two deadly attacks in Nigeria and Chad. Over 70 Nigerian troops were killed in the attack which took place in the restive northwestern part of Nigeria. The Boko Haram terrorists attacked a convoy of the Nigerian army with rocket propelled grenades.

On May 3, violent battles erupted between the Nigerian army and terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Terrorists from Boko Haram also staged an attack in the southeastern city of Diffa in Niger, for the third time in less than two weeks.

Army responding

A quick response for these attacks came from Chadian President Idriss Déby who vowed to take revenge on Boko Haram.

The Chadian army launched an attack around Lake Chad on March 31, during which over 1,000 Bako Haram terrorists were killed. About 52 Chadian army troops were killed during the operation.

The Nigerian army also said it would launch operations against Boko Haram in April. The operations left over 100 Boko Haram terrorists dead.

Deterioration

The International Crisis Group warned on May 18 that Boko Haram was expanding its presence in the northwestern part of Nigeria.

This, the group said, would help Boko Haram connect with terrorist organizations in the Sahel region and around Lake Chad.

The group noted that deteriorating security conditions in the region stood behind the success of terrorist organizations in taking root and growing in it.