Chadian President Idriss Deby has said that lack of synergy between Nigerian military and its Chadian counterpart is responsible for the continued disappearance of wanted Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, Hausa service of the BBC has reported.
Deby, who stated this after a closed door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja yesterday, said it was regrettable that the two armies, those of Nigeria and Chadian, are working separately in the field, adding that the war against Boko Haram had not yet been totally won because Chad and Nigeria were not working together.
Deby had, sometime in March, accused Nigeria of downplaying the threat of Boko Haram and failing to cooperate with the regional coalition battling the jihadists, saying there had been zero contact between the armies involved.
The republics of Chad, Cameroon and Niger joined forces since January to battle Boko Haram, whose insurgency has claimed over 12,000 lives since 2009.
The Chadian president at the time said he was baffled by the Nigerian government’s lack of cooperation in the offensive. “Two months after the start of this war, we have not had any direct contact with the Nigerian Army units on the ground,” he had told a French weekly.
Deby, who earlier this year was quoted as saying he knew the whereabouts of Abubakar Shekau, has backtracked on his claim, insisting on keeping any possible knowledge of the location of the terrorist to himself. “I cannot tell you today that I know where Shekau is hiding and even if I knew I won’t tell you,” Deby told journalists.
In his response to journalists yesterday, the Chadian president said it was important for him to come to discuss with his Nigerian counterpart as he leaves office to review “what we did together, what we achieved together in the fight against Boko Haram”.
He further stated that Boko Haram had not been completely eradicated, but only weakened. He recalled that when Chad had its own problems in the 70s and 80s, Nigeria assisted the country during those difficult times. Deby added that he was also in Nigeria to congratulate Jonathan for his noble role in the success of the 2015 polls.
“On the 2015 general elections, I came principally to congratulate Mr President for the statesmanship he demonstrated during the elections. We all know that elections in Africa are always keenly contested but Mr President demonstrated a lot of statesmanship; he is a real democrat by conceding and congratulating the president-elect,” he said.
“You all know that when Nigeria sneezes, the neighbouring countries catch cold. If Mr President had not taken that laudable initiative, you all know what would have happened now. Nigeria is still living in peace; that would not have happened but for that laudable initiative he took.
“So I came to congratulate him for leaving a legacy not only for Nigeria but for Africa as a whole. As you all know, we both work together to fight Boko Haram. I thought it was important that before Mr President leaves office, I will come for us to have an overview of what we did together, what we achieved together in the fight against Boko Haram.”
Responding to questions on the multinational task force fighting in Lake Chad, he explained, “In the Lake Chad Basin, there are four countries, Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger, that are currently securing the area. The four countries have managed to form a multinational mixed force that will metamorphose to what is probably known as a Rapid Response Force that the African Union is trying to form for Africa.”
