AU taskforce wins battle against Boko Haram

Nigeria’s lacklustre performance against militants will be key issue in upcoming presidential election.

Chadian armed forces made an important advance in the battle against Boko Haram when they retook the Nigerian border town of Gamboru from the terrorists.

The Chadians are part of a 7,500-strong African Union task force that includes troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger, which is operating out of a base in Cameroon. The task force was set up after widespread criticism of the Nigerian army’s miserable failure to stop the insurgency, and its consequent spread into Nigeria’s neighbours.

Boko Haram forces attacked the task force base and also killed tens of people in the Cameroonian town of Fotokol.

The Chadians did well to carry the fight back to the Boko Haram militants when more than 2,000 Chadian troops backed by armoured vehicles crossed into Nigeria on Tuesday to battle the group for control of Gamboru, a small town on the border with Cameroon.

The successful action showed the importance of coordinated military planning between the affected states of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram was founded in 2003 and launched military operations in 2009 as it has sought to impose its authority over large parts of north-west Nigeria, in particular targeting Borno state and its capital Maiduguri, which has been the scene of repeated pitched battles.

It has also killed thousands and abducted hundreds, including 200 girls who have yet to be rescued. The ineffectiveness of the Nigerian government in the face of this onslaught and the lacklustre performance of its armed forces has become an international scandal and will play a significant part in the upcoming presidential elections.