How Nigeria Stopped Chadian Troops From Overunning Boko Haram

Having defeated al Qaeda in Mali two years ago, Chad’s
military believes it could finish off Boko Haram alone. It has
notched up victories that have pushed the Nigerian militants
back from the Cameroonian border.
But with presidential elections this month, Nigeria is keen to
press ahead with its own military campaign against Boko
Haram, aiming to push it out of major towns before the
March 28 ballot.
In a country proud to be a major African power, it would be
an embarrassment to President Goodluck Jonathan as he
seeks reelection for a smaller nation to tackle Nigeria’s
security problems, diplomats say.
In their forward base in the town of Gambaru on the Nigeria-
Cameroon border, Chadian soldiers displayed dozens of
guns seized from Boko Haram and a burnt-out armoured
vehicle painted with black and white Arabic script.
“We turned back because Nigeria did not authorise us to go
any further,” army spokesman Colonel Azem Bermandoa
said.
Nigeria’s spokesman for operations in the northeast, Mike
Omeri, said cooperation between Chadian and Nigerian
forces has brought some major military successes and any
issues would be resolved via existing command structures.
But the Chadians say there have been no joint operations
between the two forces. Chad’s offer to join a Nigerian
offensive to capture Baga, site of one of Boko Haram’s
worst atrocities in January, was rebuffed, Bermandoa said.
Officials from Chad, Niger and Cameroon say lack of
cooperation from Nigeria has for months hampered efforts
to put together a regional taskforce against Boko Haram.
Chad was compelled to take unilateral action in January,
under a deal that allows it to pursue terrorists into Nigeria,
after Boko Haram violence started to choke off imports to
its economy .
With Niger and Cameroon deploying thousands of troops on
their borders, blocking escape routes for Boko Haram, the
tide may be turning. In what Nigeria has branded a sign of
desperation, the Islamist group has carried out wave of
suicide attacks and threatened to disrupt the election.
Francois Conradie, analyst with South African-based NKC
Research, said that if the current offensive can be
sustained, Boko Haram could quickly be driven out of the
remaining towns it holds. It would, however, remain a
deadly rural guerrilla force.
“All of this is good news for stability and will probably be to
Mr Jonathan’s electoral advantage,” he said.
Many in Nigeria ask why it took so long to act. Boko Haram
killed thousands last year and kidnapped many more in its
six-year campaign for an Islamist emirate in Africa’s largest
oil producer.
Niger, Cameroon and Chad say Nigeria neglected the
uprising in its economically backward northeast, an
opposition stronghold. Borno state is home to two percent
of Nigeria’s 170 million people.
But in recent months, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military
ruler who is running as the presidential candidate for the
opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), has gained
popularity with voters desperate for tough policies both on
corruption and Boko Haram.
Amid pressure from the ruling People’s Democratic Party
(PDP), Nigeria’s electoral commission announced a six
week postponement to the Feb. 14 election, to allow the
army to tackle the security situation in the northeast so
voting could go ahead there.
Ernst Hogendoorn, Crisis Group’s Africa deputy programme
director, said the government appeared to have engineered
the delay in the hope the APC would slip up or the military
could boost Jonathan by defeating Boko Haram.
“Boko Haram has certainly suffered a strategic setback …
Clearly this improves Goodluck Jonathan’s chances
somewhat,” said Hogendoorn. “The question is do any of
these forces have the ability to maintain this tempo,
particularly the Chadians and to a lesser degree the
Nigerians?”
With Chad already squeezed by a slump in the price of oil,
its main export, the government says it can only sustain the
offensive in Nigeria for a short time, diplomats say.
Buhari, however, has already criticised Jonathan for relying
on Chad to push back Boko Haram, saying his government
would tackle the problem alone. Many in the military and the
government are keen to limit foreign involvement on
Nigerian soil, diplomats say.
When Chadian forces last month entered the town of Dikwa,
they were told to leave by Nigeria’s military, which said it
was planning air strikes, Bermondoa said.
After Nigeria’s army retook Baga last month, Army Chief
Major General Kenneth Minimah said his soldiers would
recapture a handful of remaining towns before the elections,
listing Dikwa as one of them. “The war is almost ended,” he
said.
Boko Haram was long regarded by neighbouring countries
as an internal Nigerian problem, but attacks in Cameroon
and Niger last year prompted the regional response. Niger,
Nigeria, Chad, Benin and Cameroon agreed in May to join
forces against the militants.
Since then, however, distrust and misunderstandings have
stymied preparations for the force, due to take effect by the
end of this month. Nigeria initially sent low-level
representatives to planning meetings, angering its allies.
Cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria has been
dogged by long-running border tensions, while Niger
accused Nigerian troops of cowardice.
“Nigeria must get involved and honour its promise of
providing between 2,500 and 3,000 to the multinational
force,” said Cameroon’s defence spokesman Colonel Didier
Badjeck.
Cameroon has stepped up its activities since July, when
Boko Haram attacked Kolotafa, the hometown of its deputy
prime minister, killing dozens and kidnapping his wife.
The government has boosted its security forces in northern
Cameroon from 700 to around 7,000.
“We have to do whatever it takes to make sure the sect
does not occupy any town in Cameroon,” said Colonel
Joseph Nouma, in charge of Operation Alpha, the mission
against Boko Haram.
However, Nouma said he has orders not to enter Nigeria,
and Cameroon has denied Nigerian troops the right to
pursue insurgents into Cameroon.
Along its 400 km (250 miles) border with Nigeria, Cameroon
has created 14 new bases, with heavy artillery batteries. It
has also deployed surveillance drones, a senior intelligence
officer said.
Another senior Cameroon military figure said they were
attempting to choke off Boko Haram’s revenues, including
the trade in fuel with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
“All of this looks to be paying off,” the officer said, with no
incursions since mid-February.