View on Africa: Buhari's diplomatic offensive against Boko Haram

David Zounmenou assessed whether Buhari’s engagement, both in the region and beyond, is an effective strategy against Boko Haram

Date: 2015-07-29

Time: 11:00 to 12:00

Venue: Situation Room , Block C , ISS Pretoria (map) and online: VoiceBoxer

The issue

Nigeria’s newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari has made the fight against Boko Haram one of his key priorities. Since his inauguration in May this year, he has toured West Africa to reinforce a regional approach to tackling Boko Haram.

In this week’s View on Africa David Zounmenou, a senior research fellow based in ISS Pretoria, asked if this regional approach has accomplished anything significant and whether Buhari’s engagement, both in the region and beyond, is an effective strategy against Boko Haram.

Key points

President Muhammadu Buhari campaigned on the promise to eradicate Boko Haram. He has undertaken to tour the region and discuss his strategy with Nigeria’s neighbours. It is too early to assess the effectiveness of this approach, but we can discuss where the fight against Boko Haram is heading.
Since February 2015, the tide has turned on Boko Haram. A major development is the decision by a coalition of countries to fight the terrorist group, which has become a regional threat. Boko Haram has been defeated in some areas, but it remains a serious threat after recent attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.
Even though Buhari wants Nigeria to take the lead in the fight against Boko Haram, he recognises that it is no longer just a Nigerian problem. This approach is part of Nigeria’s overall policy re-orientation to improve national security and create a stable environment for socio-economic development. It has included a change in the military hierarchy given the problems that various national security agencies were facing under the former administration.
The relocation of the army headquarters to Maiduguri took the fight to Boko Haram.
Domestic initiatives will be reinforced by regional efforts to set up the new Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) made of 8 700 troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Bénin. MNJTF will be headquartered in Njamena under Nigeria’s command. It is proposed that the MNJTF be placed under AU leadership.
The recent successes of Chad’s army prove that a well-trained and equipped military force can limit Boko Haram’s ability to operate freely across the region. But while this is welcome, other measures are also needed like effective border control, strict control of the sources of funding and weapons, information sharing and a drastic change in the legal system to deal with the problem.
A multi-pronged approach to Boko Haram is needed and Nigeria must display leadership in this regard.

What to watch

The key question will be how to sustain the recently forged alliance between Chad, Niger and Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.

About View on Africa

Do you want to know what's happening in Africa, where it's happening and what it means for the continent's many actors?

Join the new ISS View on Africa weekly briefing every Wednesday from 11h00 - 12h00 CAT at the ISS in Pretoria or online. ISS researchers from Dakar, Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Pretoria provide expert analysis of major events and trends in Africa. Introductory remarks are followed by discussions among participants.

How to get your weekly View on Africa

Attend the briefing in person or online via VoiceBoxer on your computer (http://app.voiceboxer.com/presentation/nIUH9ofrF3/register). To join the briefing online, simply click on the link above, follow the on-screen instructions and select your language preference.

Before joining the briefing online, be sure to test your system settings by clicking on this link:http://app.voiceboxer.com/check

For VoiceBoxer system requirements and troubleshooting, click here.

______________________________

À propos de Vues d’Afrique

Vous voulez savoir ce qu’il se passe en Afrique, quand cela se passe et ce que cela signifie pour les nombreux acteurs du continent ?

Rejoignez-nous tous les mercredis de 11h00 à 12h00 à nos bureaux de Pretoria ou bien en ligne. Lors de ces réunions « Vues d’Afrique », nos chercheurs de Dakar, Nairobi, Addis Abéba et Pretoria apporteront leur expertise sur des sujets qui marquent l’actualité africaine ; ces exposés seront suivis par des discussions entre participants.

Comment suivre la réunion ?

Rendez-vous sur place ou suivez-la à distance via VoiceBoxer (http://app.voiceboxer.com/presentation/nIUH9ofrF3/register). Suivez les instructions affichées à l’écran et sélectionnez votre langue.

Avant tout, testez vos paramètres système en cliquant sur ce lien : http://app.voiceboxer.com/check