Boko Haram Fighters Rearming, Returning To Sambisa Forest - Report

Members of a faction of Boko Haram are regrouping, re-arming and returning to the Sambisa Forest area, a report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned.

Buhari To Visit Boko Haram’s Former Stronghold - Sambisa Forest On Monday

President Muhammadu Buhari will visit Sambisa forest, the former stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents, on Monday, 27 March 2017.

Security Agents Capture Boko Haram Factional Leader - Abu Musab al-Barnawi

ABUJA— Details have emerged on Nigerian security agencies dismantled the leadership and stronghold of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents with confirmation that the Nigerian factional leader of the sect, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, had been captured three months before the fall of Sambisa forest to Nigerian troops.

Army Alerts Public, Residents of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe States on Boko Haram Suspects Fleeing Sambisa Forest

The Nigerian Army has said due to its ongoing final clearance and occupation of Boko Haram terrorists hideouts in Sambisa forest, a number of the terrorists are escaping the theatre of operation in the North-east to other parts of the country.

Nigerian Air Force Destroys Boko Haram’s Solar PanelsIn Sambisa Forest

The Nigerian Air Force said Wednesday that it has struck and destroyed solar panels believed to have been used by Boko Haram for electricity in Sambisa forest.

Boko Haram: Nigerian Air Force Commences Bombardment of Sambisa Forest

Barely Forty-eight hours after President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Military High Command to ensure the end of Boko Haram in the next three months, Nigerian Airforce fighter jets recently deployed to the North East, have commenced air bombardments of Sambisa forest to decapitate the remaining terrorist’s camps and bunkers of the group.

Nigerian Army Rescues 59 Borno Villagers From Sambisa Forests

TROOPS of 7 Division of Nigerian Army yesterday rescued 59 residents of Kashimri and Amarmari villages in Konduga local council, Borno State, after a six-hour operation against Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa Forests.

How Nigeria Turned A Corner Against Boko Haram

After five years of insurgency, the military has made significant gains on the battlefield. But now the battle for peace must begin, says Max Siollun. The Nigerian army has recaptured all of the major towns occupied by Boko Haram in recent months, and rescued nearly 1,000 kidnapped women and children. It claims to have destroyed several of the militants’ camps, pursued the group into the Sambisa forest and arrested those suspected of supplying food and fuel.

Nigerian military says it destroyed 10 Boko Haram camps

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's military destroyed 10 Boko Haram camps in the country's remote northeast on Sunday as it pressed on with an offensive against militant Islamist fighters now confined to a final hideout there, the army said.

Boko Haram Recaptures Border Town of Marte in Borno State

The Boko Haram terrorist group on Friday recaptured Marte, a border town in the northern part of Borno State.

Security sources said members of the terrorist group, who fled Sambisa forest, had now regrouped in Marte.

Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha, also confirmed the recapture of the town by Boko Haram terrorists during a press conference in Maiduguri.

“It is sad as we have been made to understand that Marte is today (Friday) completely fallen under the control of the insurgents, which to us is a very huge setback,” he said.

Mustapha raised the alarm that 600 women and girls had been dispatched by the terrorists as suicide bombers with the aim of causing multiple explosions in Maiduguri.

The deputy governor urged residents to be patient with the security agencies in spite of the attendant hardships caused by the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on Maiduguri.

He said, “It is unfortunate that we are experiencing yet another attack in Maiduguri at this time that we are thinking that the insurgency should have subsided following the taking over of Sambisa forest by the military.

“Our thinking was that every other place should have been blocked so that the insurgency would be curtailed to a restricted area, but that has not been the case because the insurgents have been fleeing to other communities.

“Initially, we were opposed to the suggestion by the military, but when we received a security report that about 600 women have been kitted as suicide bombers and are to be sneaked into Maiduguri during the attack, couple with the gory pictures of some of the women who detonated themselves during the attacks, we had no option than to okay the curfew.

“But the curfew has been relaxed from noon to about 5pm to ease the hardship and afterwards it may be reviewed. Our government is going to do everything possible by supporting the military to ensure that Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State are not attacked or taken over by the insurgents.”

The capture of Marte happened as soldiers sustained the 24-hour curfew imposed on Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Thursday after Boko Haram terrorists attempted an invasion of the city on Wednesday night.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram: What Next For The Rescued?

They queued up for brand new clothes and flip-flops - cellophane-wrapped dresses for the girls and matching shirts and shorts for the boys.

Nigerian Military Rescues Another 25 Boko Haram Hostages From Sambisa Forest

Nigerian troops have rescued 25 more women and children from Boko Haram’s northeastern stronghold in the Sambisa Forest, killing a number of insurgents and destroying Islamist camps, the military said Wednesday.

Boko Haram in Disarray As Nigerian Military Advance

Boko Haram is fracturing as shortages of weapons and fuel foment tensions between its foot soldiers and leaders, women rescued from the Islamist jihadi fighters by Nigerian troops told Reuters.

Nigerian Military Rescue 150 More Women And Girls From Boko Haram Enclave

Up to 150 more women and children have been rescued from Boko Haram extremists in the remote Sambisa Forest, Nigeria’s military said – amid reports that some of the women fought their rescuers fiercely.

Chibok School Girls: Sambisa Forest To Be Liberated May 29 – NSA Dasuki

On the one year anniversary of the abduction of over 200 Chibok girls, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki has assured that the girls will be rescued by the military, adding, that the Sambisa Forest will be liberated before May 29.

Nigerian Troops Bombard Sambisa Forest

As part of measures to contain and quell the Boko Haram insurgency, the military has stormed the insurgents in Sambisa Forest, their notorious hideout, according to reports from the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Outrage In Military Circles Over Plan To Court Martial Lt. Colonel, 37 Others

SOME soldiers and officers are said to be outraged and bitter over the decision of the General Court Martial, convened by the Army authorities, to try a Lieutenant-Colonel (names withheld) and 37 soldiers for mutiny.

Nigerian Boko Haram, Self-Defence Militia Conscripting Underage Children– Report

An international network of human rights and humanitarian organisations, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, has called on the Federal Government and the United Nations to investigate recruitment and abuse of children in the North-East by both Boko Haram insurgents and self-defence militia known as Civilian Joint Task Force.

According to the report of the group’s investigation into the Boko Haram insurgency released on Thursday, both warring parties in North-East have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

It noted that the gravity and scale of these violations “warrant urgent action from the Nigerian Government,
United Nations, and other child protection actors.”

The 64-page report, entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations against Children in Northeastern Nigeria,” detailed grave violations by some parties to the conflict since December 2012 and provided recommendations on how to better protect children.

One of Watchlist’s researchers, Janine Morna, said, “While the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State, has shed some light on how children are affected by the conflict in the North-East, most abuses are still poorly documented, understood, and addressed by key actors. Children as young as 13 are being recruited by both sides of the conflict and have nowhere to turn.”

Though the study considered the activities of all the actors in the ongoing conflict in the North-East, it noted that of particular concern is the forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF, which was formed in mid-2013 in Borno State.

  - Punch

United States Planning Major Border Security Operations Against Boko Haram in Nigeria

The United States is preparing to launch a “major” border security program to help Nigeria and its neighbours combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by Islamic extremists, a senior U.S. official for Africa said Thursday.

Nigerian insurgents have begun attacking villages in neighboring Cameroon and have been seizing land in northeast Nigeria where they proclaimed an Islamic caliphate.

Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a meeting of U.S. and Nigerian officials in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, that “Despite our collective efforts, the situation on the ground is worsening.

“The frequency and scope of Boko Haram’s terror attacks have grown more acute and constitute a serious threat to this country’s overall security,” she said. “This is a sober reality check for all of us. We are past time for denial and pride.”
The government denied that Boko Haram this week overran Bama, the second largest city in Borno state, but Thomas-Greenfield said, “We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri.”

Bama, a city of about 200,000 people is just 75 kilometers (45 miles) from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital that is the headquarters of the military campaign against Boko Haram.

A senior Borno state security officer said a bombing raid Wednesday destroyed a Boko Haram camp outside Bama. The officer said two Air Force jets spotted the insurgents, who apparently were gathering for a meeting. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give information to journalists.

The officer and a member of the Nigerian Vigilante Group of civilians fighting Boko Haram both said some of the thousands of Bama residents who fled were returning home. There was no way to independently verify the confusing and conflicting information about Bama.

A Westerner working on the Cameroon side of the border said more than 100 Nigerian soldiers fled Bama and crossed into Cameroon on Tuesday. Last week, nearly 500 Nigerian soldiers fled into Cameroon from another border town that was under attack.
The United States has flown unarmed drones to spy in parts of northeast Nigeria in a joint effort to try to save more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremists in April.

“The Chibok schoolgirls and others remain hostages, enduring horrible and tragic suffering,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
She added that Cameroon’s military is increasingly forced to fight Boko Haram within Cameroon, and that the insurgents flee back into Nigeria without fear.

The U.N. refugee agency said insurgents had begun attacking villages in northern Cameroon last week, and spokeswoman Helene Caux said Thursday that Cameroonian authorities say some 5,000 Cameroonians have fled the assaults. UNHCR says 645,000 Nigerians are displaced inside their country by the insurgency while tens of thousands have fled into Cameroon and Niger.

Nigeria’s home-grown insurgency grew out of a cult that preached against endemic corruption. Now Boko Haram — the name means Western education is sinful — has declared an Islamic caliphate in seized land in the extreme east of Borno state and says it wants to create an Islamic state in all of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of about 170 million people divided almost equally between Muslims and Christians.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Aminu Wali on Wednesday told a regional security meeting of foreign ministers that Nigeria’s government remains puzzled about funding and arms supply of Boko Haram.

“Who are the sponsors of Boko Haram terrorist campaigns? Who are those funding the insurgency? Where are the sources of the sophisticated arms and ammunition being used by the terrorists? Who are those seeking to re-define the territory of Nigeria and Africa in the 21st century?” he asked.

-‎WP

Boko Haram: Civilian JTF, Retired Soldiers, Hunters Set To Storm Sambisa Forest

Angered and frustrated by the unabating acts of terrorism and insurgency in northeast, Nigeria, particularly in Borno and Yobe state, over 10,000 members of Civilian JTF, hunters as well as members of the
Nigerian legion (retired soldiers) have stormed the palace of the Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari Umar Ibn Garbai Al’amin El-kanemi to receive his blessings as they set to join the military to take over Sambisa forest.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the Shehu declared three days, alms giving, fasting and prayers among all religious faithful in the state so as to restore peace back to the state and the country in general.

It would be recalled that communities of Damboa, Gamboru Ngala, Bama and Banki towns had in the last three weeks come under serious attacks by terrorists, leading to the killing of many civilians and the displacement of thousands others from their houses, a situation that prompted the civilian JTF to mobilize to seek Shehu’s prayers and advise so as to track down the terrorists.

Addressing the over 10,000 civilian JTF, local hunters, retired soldiers and other paramilitary men at the palace, the traditional ruler commended the effort of the civilian JTF in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, and appealed to them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies while discharging their duties.

He said the emergence of the Civilian JTF has assisted in dislodging the sect out of Maiduguri and its environs, and therefore called on other towns and communities to set up their own Civilian JTF/youth volunteers to fight terrorism.
“I want to thank you for this visit and the effort you are collectively and voluntarily making in order to fight Boko Haram who are bent at not only
destroying our social and economic structures, but also killing innocent lives. I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties to your fatherland. In anything you do, you must make sure that you consult all other security agencies so that you work hand-in hand to end terrorism that have been destroying us as a nation”, the Shehu pleaded.

The state Coordinator of Civilian JTF, Mallam Abba Aji Kalli in an interview with DailyPost said, they were at the Shehu’s palace to seek for his blessings and fatherly advice, as the group have vowed to go after insurgents even if they are not well armed. He said they were optimistic that with their sticks (Gora in Hausa) and other local arms, they will raid all terrorist hideouts.

Aji Kalli also said, the Civilian JTF are now more motivated with the support and assurance they received from retired military men, local hunters and
other patriotic citizens who have expressed their willingness to join the group to end the madness perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists in the north east.

While expressing their dismay over President Goodluck Jonathan’s lack of support for the Civilian JTF, the group noted that, they were apolitical, non-religious and will not be deterred, but will ensure that it works with the military to end insurgency in the region.

Source:
DailyPost