Abuja Summit focuses on Boko Haram defeat
May 14, 2016, 7:26 pm

Nigerian President Buhari has made defeating Boko Haram a central goal of his administration [Xinhua]

Western and African leaders met in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Saturday to discuss means of effectively combating religious extremism including ways to defeat the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.

Host country Nigeria expressed concerns that there was mounting evidence of increased cooperation between Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Last year, Boko Haram announced its allegiance to ISIL; some Nigerian officials have told local media that they fear extremist fighters are making their way to Libya to meet with ISIL leaders to receive funding and training.

The summit comes amid pledges by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to defeat and eradicate Boko Haram before his term is up in three years.

Leaders at the summit, including French president Francois Hollande, say they are worried about the spread of Boko Haram’s influence in Western Africa.

“The results (of the counter-insurgency ) are impressive” and the rebels had been “diminished and forced to retreat. This terrorist group nevertheless remains a threat,” he said at a press conference in the Nigerian capital.

Nigerian officials say that a year-long military campaign, in conjunction with a West African drive against Boko Haram, has significantly depleted the terrorist group’s resources.

With US and UK backing, five West African nations which border Lake Chad – Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger – formed a united military force to defeat Boko Haram.

While Boko Haram has lost some territory to Nigerian and multiple African military forces in the past year, it still maintains a deadly capacity to launch devastating attacks against security forces in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon – as well as terrorize the local populace.

On Thursday, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in the Nigerian town of Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern Borno state where it has been active over the past decade.

The suicide attacker had been targeting a local official but only killed two local policemen and himself.

Local authorities say that at least 18 people, mostly civilians, were wounded in the attack.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies