Cameroon, Nigeria re-strategise to end Boko Haram terrorism.

The fresh commitment was at the centre of discussions when a delegation from the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, met with the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, in Yaounde.

The high-powered delegation from the joint body was led by the Force Commander, Nigerian-born Major General Ibrahim Ali. The courtesy visit to Yaounde took place February 1, 2024.

Speaking during the visit, General Ali highlighted some successes recently accomplished by the Multinational Joint Task Force in Cameroon Sector 1, which he attributed to the commitment of the government of Cameroon to support MNJTF at all times.

He stated that more terrorists continue to lay down their arms and embrace peace while many communities have returned to their ancestral homes. 

The Force Commander expressed appreciation to the government and people of Cameroon for all their support in achieving such milestones.

He equally reaffirmed the commitment of MNJTF to rid the Lake Chad region of any Boko Haram terrorist activities.

General Ali stated that all troops-contributing countries have been up to their tasks in meeting their obligations to MNJTF. He appealed for more support to troops of Sector 1 to be able to accomplish their objectives.

In a remark, Cameroon’s Minister of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, commended the Multinational Joint Task Force for its efforts in fulfilling its mandate, despite challenges.

He stated that Cameroon is strengthening cooperation with all its partners to ensure the defeat of Boko Haram remnants while pledging that his country will never relent in supporting MNJTF.

Similarly, the Force Commander paid a visit on the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General René Claude Meka, where he discussed issues of security in the Lake Chad Basin.

The Chief of Defence Staff, who was represented by Major General Tchemo Marie, said that Cameroon armed forces are fully committed to the MNJTF and are not ready to give freedom of action to any terrorist in their territory.

The Multinational Joint Task Force, it should be said, was established in 1994 by the Federal Republic of Nigeria to check trans-border armed banditry around the general area of the Lake Chad Basin, LCB and facilitate free movements along Nigeria’s northeast border.  

Initially, the Force had only troops from the Nigerian Army but operated in liaison with the militaries and security agencies of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC member countries.   

However, in 1998, the Force received a boost and was made fully multinational by the inclusion of Chadian and Nigerien troops who alongside their Nigerian counterpart had the mandate of dealing with common cross-border security challenges within the Lake Chad region.  

The establishment of the Force completely changed the tide of events in the area and the situation of insecurity in the LCB was significantly doused until 2009 when the Boko Haram group surfaced within the general area. 

This plunged the LCB back into a state of insecurity as the bandits and other cross-border criminal gangs who earlier operated within the LCB provided the recruitment base for the insurgents.

In 2014, the spate of Boko Haram activities heightened, leading to the displacement of communities as well as the dislodging of some military locations.  

Coincidentally, the erstwhile Multinational Joint Task Force headquarters in Baga was overrun by the group in 2015. The atrocities of the Boko Haram group further led to the deterioration of socio-economic activities in the region.  

It necessitated member nations of the LCBC to fall back to the existing security framework-the MNJTF.  

Accordingly, at the 484^th Meeting of Heads of States and Governments, held in Addis Ababa, on January 29, 2015, the AU Peace and Security Council decided to support the efforts of the LCBC Member States and Benin, through an authorisation of the deployment of the MNJTF.  

Thus, the MNJTF was remodeled and re-operationalised with an increased capacity of about 10,000 troops and its new headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad.  

The Force commenced operations on July 30, 2015, with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria as troops-contributing countries, each having a sector of brigade strength domiciled in-country. The Republic of Benin also contributed a company of troops to the force, although not in combat capacity.