Boko Haram: Need For Global Cooperation

The contribution of about 700 troops by
Cameroun to the fight against Boko
Haram has tended to commence the long awaited common front against the insurgency in Nigeria. It also provides the example that other friendly countries should emulate.
Although terrorists are known to have carried out attacks from a number of neighbouring countries, the silence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) on the attacks against Nigeria had been suspect, even when there are long-standing commitments to join forces against terrorism.
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009 in Nigeria, recently assumed an upswing, especially in the North Eastern geo-political zone. This has forced the Federal Government to finetune its security operations in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, where a state of emergency is still in force.
That the terrorists were able to consistently wreak havoc on civilians and military personnel in the area raised credible concerns. Indeed, that the insurgency took a serious toll on the socio-economic and religious activities of the region became unacceptable.
The most pathetic of atrocities in recent times include the nocturnal massacre of students of a unity school in Yobe, which resulted in the death of nearly a hundred persons. Already, hundreds of schools have been destroyed and academic activities frustrated in the area while the target has been expanded to include anybody.
Ostensibly bothered by the situation, directors-general of External Intelligence Services of Francophone nations – Chad, Niger, Cameroun and Benin Republic – agreed to effectively police their borders with Nigeria to avoid the infiltration of terrorists and other criminals. This is also expected to achieve the repatriation of insurgents in conformity with existing protocols.
There is no doubt that the safe haven neigbouring countries provide for Boko Haram terrorists has seriously hampered the handling of the matter by the Nigerian military. Indeed, if this issue is not seriously addressed, Nigeria might have no choice than confront uncooperative neighbours.
The Tide expects that even the first world countries actually need to assist in the fight against Boko Haram, even when some of them are being accused of unwittingly encouraging the crisis in the first place. It is indeed hard to reason that Nigeria, which had contributed troops to keep the peace across the world would be left to deal with Boko Haram alone.
According to a former Polish Envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Grzegor Walinski, Nigeria has, since her Independence in 1960, not only participated in 73 per cent of the United Nations peace missions across the globe, but also contributed more than $33 billion to global peacekeeping efforts, over 250,000 troops and tones of relief materials to 40 of the 55 UN peace missions worldwide.
On the other hand, that Boko Haram has been discovered to have operational links with such other dreaded international terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, Ansar-e-din and MUJAC, surely attests to its strong continental and global reach. This may also serve to explain the group’s source of sophisticated weapons as Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGS), and Man Portable Air Defence Systems (ManPADs).
Given these facts, The Tide wonders why the UN and especially the United States and the European Union still prefer to remain complacent, while Nigeria struggles to combat a terrorist group whose ultimate goal may not be unconnected with the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria and beyond.
The world has become a global village and an attack on any country should be seen as one against the interest of persons and nations across the globe. The failure of the world to be united in exterminating extremism and ideological superiority is pathetic.
We expect that Nigeria will continue to apply the needed pressure internationally to get more countries, particularly her regional neighbours, to join in the fight against Boko Haram. The earlier Boko Haram is brought under control and neutralised, the better for the world as a whole.