The Nigerian President's spokesman has said that the conflict with Boko Haram is a "war situation".
Speaking to Lagos-based Channels TV on February 28, Doyin Okupe said:
"We are dealing with a very, very serious enemy. We are engaged in a
war that has been internationalised."
The statement appears to contradict President Goodluck Jonathan's
assertions that the government is winning the battle against the
Islamist insurgents, and that normality will return by May 2014.
The President has also accused its eastern neighbour, Cameroon, of
not cooperating by failing to allow cross-border pursuits of Boko Haram
members, who he claims return to Cameroon after attacks in Nigeria.
Last Sunday, one soldier and six Boko Haram members were killed after an assault in northern Cameroon, local media reported.
The President claims Boko Haram has set up bases in the sparsely
populated areas of Nigeria's north-eastern neighbours Cameroon, Chad and
Niger. Part of Nigeria's 1,600 km border with Cameroon was closed on
Feb. 23.
The Cameroon border closure extends from the northern state of Borno,
near Lake Chad, to the southern end of Adamawa state, one of the three
states in north-east Nigeria placed under a "state of emergency" in May.
Deadly attacks have been carried out on an almost daily basis by the
Islamist group in recent weeks. Between 90 and 140 were confirmed dead
in twin attacks in Borno state last weekend, while more than 400 have
been killed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states within the past month.
Palpable fear, anxiety and uncertainty have gripped many Christian
communities in Adamawa state, following attacks on Feb. 26 on the
villages of Kirchinga, Michika and Shuwa, which left at least 14 dead.
Heavily armed Boko Haram fighters travelled in vans through the Sambisa
Forest near the Cameroon border and stormed the villages, firing
indiscriminately before setting fire to homes, shops and other
establishments, including three Catholic churches, local source say.
In Shuwa, a primary school was razed to the ground and a maternity
health centre looted and set ablaze – along with Saint Joseph's Minor
Seminary and the home of a former Commissioner. In Michika, three banks
were looted and ransacked, in addition to a police station, several
shops and part of the Local Government Council Secretariat.
"Christians in most rural communities where the attacks are rampant
are living in a situation of despair as a result of the activities of
the terror group," Moses Yusuf, former secretary of the Adamawa state
chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told World Watch
Monitor by phone. "These attacks are spreading everywhere in Adamawa
state and people are helpless. We never know how far this thing will go,
so Christians are living in fear of the unknown. Many churches,
especially in villages that border Cameroon, have been burnt down, while
many people have left those places. Christians are living in perpetual
fear."
He added: "Whenever civilians call for help through the help
telephone lines, no help will come," he said. "We are worried. It will
be unfair to say that the Nigerian military is not living up to
expectations, but there must be a problem somewhere. It is not just
Christians that are running away. Both Christians and Muslims are being
killed in the villages and everybody is running away because you never
know who will be the next target. The prevailing atmosphere here is that
of fear."
The Sultan of Sokoto, who chairs the Supreme Council of
Islamic Affairs, called for unity. "All of us as Nigerian citizens have
common problems: problems of poverty, hunger, unemployment, extremism,
terrorism, insecurity, poor education, poor infrastructure, etc.," said
Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, who is considered the spiritual leader of
Nigeria's Muslims. "We must all come together as a people to face these
common enemies of our individual and collective progress. No doubt we
would be able to solve these common problems if we unite as a people; we
can't overcome these challenges if we are divided, hence our unity is
not negotiable."
On March 3, Nigerian security forces presented to the mass media
seven suspected members of Boko Haram, who allegedly killed a prominent
Muslim cleric. The Sheikh was shot on Feb. 1, along with his wife and
son, while returning from preaching in Zaria in the central state of
Kaduna. The cleric was killed because of his pro-Western posture and
anti-Boko Haram preaching, a security forces spokesperson said.
France has pledged to assist Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.
The French President, François Hollande, speaking at a security
conference on Feb. 27 in Abuja, was quoted by a local newspaper as
saying: "Your struggle is also our struggle. We will always stand ready,
not only to provide our political support but our help every time you
need it, because the struggle against terrorism is also the struggle for
democracy."
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