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“Major General Ibrahim M. Yusuf opined that the road towards the formation and the interventions of multinational troops in Africa are a result of the burden of insecurity which motivates the nation-states to align and established coalitions against an aggressor nation, groups, or individuals”
*The Commandant of the Nigerian Defense Academy Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Terrorism is a global phenomenon but the desire to end the wars and conflicts and the search for peace has remained a daunting challenge in Africa and beyond. The dual threats of insurgency and terrorism have also remained a persistent menace across most parts of the world despite national and international efforts to deal with them. In Africa, the threats of insurgency and terrorism has been posed by Al-Shabaab in East Africa, ISIS-GS in the Sahel and Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin.
The Commandant of the Nigerian Defense Academy Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf made this submission at the University of Ibadan 74th Foundation Day Anniversary and 2022 Convocation Ceremonies Lecture entitled, “Regional Security, Counter-Terrorism and counter-Insurgency Operations in the Lake Chad Basin; The Role of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)”, held in Ibadan.
While delivering the lecture, he acknowledged that counter terrorism and counter insurgency are a broad strategic operational activity often staged in a joint framework involving Armed forces, paramilitaries, strategic agencies of the civil government and civil population, aimed at routing all threats posed by terrorist organizations, stating that beyond all this approaches in tackling terrorism the non-kinetic is key to counter insurgency and terrorism.
Major General Ibrahim M. Yusuf opined that the road towards the formations and the interventions of multinational troops in Africa is as a result of the burden of insecurity which motivates the nation states to align and established a coalition against aggressor nation, groups or individuals. These coalitions are anchored on the theory of collective security. Noting that it has become imperative for nation states to join any multilateral arrangement to contain aggressor and subgroup actors because of the anticipation that the state which maybe the object of direct attack in future is within the framework and agreements of African Union, formation of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
He observed that the evolution of the multinational Joint Task Force was formed in 1994 by Nigeria to checkmate trans-border armed banditry around the general areas of Lake Chad Basin and facilities free movement along Nigeria’s Northeast borders.
During this period, the Lake Chad was a haven for most rebels expelled from Chad during the conflicts in that country and the level of poverty in the countries of the Lake Chad Basin further increased the rate of criminal activities especially along the major roads linking the neighboring countries and the Nigerian armed forces receive a boost in the inclusion of Chad and Nigerien troops who alongside their Nigerian counterparts had the mandate of dealing with common cross-border security, a challenges within the Lake Chad Basin. Yusuf said.
The Army General, stated that in 2015 the establishment of the re-operationalised MNJTF member countries of the commission held an extraordinary summit of Head of state and government in Nigeria, that authorized the immediate operationalisation of the MNJTF and adoption of the Emergency Development Plan.
Firstly, the meeting approved the concept of operations (CONOPS) as well as other strategic, operational and related document of the MNJTF for the fight against Boko Haram terrorist group. Secondly, requests the African Union’s support to the MNJTF in its operations, logistics and general mission support by mobilizing financial support, resolved to seek the support of strategic partners European Union EU, France, United Kingdom, United States of America in favour of the MNJTF, approved the funding of sum of 30 million Dollars for the installation by his joint Headquarters and adopt the Emergency Plan for Development in the Lake Chad Basin.
He said the Lake Chad which support millions of people in the region has shrunk drastically by over 90 percent in the past 40 years, through the dwindling of the lake, increase irrigation withdrawal and the effect of climate change has affected over 30 million people in the Lake Chad Basin.
The General stressed that despite the recent estimation by UN OCHA indicates that 2.8 million people within the Lake Chad have been displaced from their homes and are living in adverse condition in Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons IDP camps, he acknowleged that despite the contending issues, the MNJTF has conducted at least four major operations with varying degrees of success.
He explained that before 2015 the Boko Haram had captured several towns within Nigeria and began to expand into the territory of Nigeria’s neighbors, the seizure of these towns led to the displacement of the civil populace and disruption of economic activities, adding that this necessitated the conduct of the offensive operations to clear these towns and create the conditions for the return of the populace.
He highlighted that MNJTF has achieved the significant outcomes in the conduct of its operations and the challenges confronting the force.
He admitted that the force commanders exercise only limited operational control of the forces as troops are only available to the force for MNJTF operations and the force could only pursue the terrorists up to 25 KM permissible of the neighboring countries which further gives the terrorists more chance to regroup and recruits.noting that it was on this challenges that the MNJTF forms four sector commands with border countries where sector 1 in Cameroon, sector 2 in Chad, sector 3 in Nigeria and sector 4 in Niger Republic, observing that this sectors have contributed successfully in combat this terrorist organizations in Lake Chad Basin.
He however, noted that adequate funding is required for the troops to be formidable in the fight against terrorism in Lake Chad and the best approaches to counter and decimates the transnational threats is to fostered regional cooperation, military integration and general military exchange across the 4 countries, stressing that the member countries of the Basin had demonstrated degree of commitment and sacrifice in ensuring that MNJTF works for the good of the Lake Chad, West-Central Africa and the globe at large.
Reports by Abu Mustapha in Ibadan
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