Boko Haram prime beneficiary of Turkish interference in Libya

Mustafa Kamel

Boko Haram is staging a new wave of attacks in Sahel countries, capitalizing on the world’s preoccupation with the fight against the coronavirus and rampant turmoil in Libya.

The terrorist group is trying to rebuild itself by deploying its militants along the Komadugu River which flows into Lake Chad and separates Chad from Nigeria.

Boko Haram just tries to get enough stocks of food and arms before the river flooding.

Benefiting from crises

Boko Haram tends to downplay the effect of the crackdown of the militaries of the region on it. It mocked the measures taken by the government of Niger to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It said none of its militants had contracted the virus, whereas it is rampant among the peoples and the governments of the region.

The terrorist group also works to benefit from the coronavirus by recruiting more youth. This is especially true after over 1,000 of its militants had been killed in confrontations with the Chadian.

The group is also deploying its militants near Lake Chad which is located in close proximity to passageways used in the smuggling of arms, oil, gold and humans.

This coincides with Turkish interference in Libya. In 2019, AFP ran a report about the 2017 seizure of a shipment of Turkish arms that was being sent to Boko Haram in Nigeria.

According to intelligence reports, dealings between smuggling networks and radical groups operating in the Sahel region is easier now, given Turkish interference in Libya.