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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Chad ‘fuelling’ Boko Haram insurgency |
| 2014-12-04 |
| What started as mere suspicion in Nigeria’s security circles is now being treated with utmost seriousness: Chad may be the major backer and staying power of Boko Haram ─ with eyes on the oil deposits in the Chad Basin, in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state. The lukewarm attitude of Nigeria’s neighbours, particularly Chad and Cameroon, to the Boko Haram threat has long been attributed to regional rivalry rather than economic interest. However, circumstances surrounding the phantom ceasefire deal brokered in October by Idriss Déby, the president of Chad, have alerted the security agencies to a possible involvement of the west African country in the insurgency. The Cable recently reported that Nigerian government officials are furious about the phantom ceasefire deal which misled the Nigerian military into dropping its guard, a situation that saw the terror group reinforce and take over more Nigerian towns and villages. “Chad might be eyeing control of the Chad Basin in Borno state, which is believed to be very rich in hydrocarbon reserves,” a senior military officer told TheCable. "We now have enough grounds to suspect that the staying power of Boko Haram is Chad. While the terrorists have been striking against Cameroon, they have never carried out any attack in Chad. Their arms may be passing through the Chadian territory.” Unconfirmed reports have linked the Chadian government to arms supply to Boko Haram as Nigerian authorities try to understand what has kept the insurgents fully armed in the last five years. Although the militants have looted Nigerian armouries on several occasions, some of the weapons recovered from them have turned out to be different from what they stole. If indeed Chad is fuelling the insurgency, Boko Haram may gain access to more sophisticated weapons, such as surface-to-air missiles, which are legally sold only to sovereign entities. The transportation of armoured tanks and other heavy hardware into Nigeria may also be facilitated by Chad, but the insurgents are unlikely to acquire aircraft as no terrorist group has yet used the aerial route in launching attacks. Security sources said they have established that Chadian citizens are serving as foot soldiers for Boko Haram, which most recently made its biggest gain on the Nigerian territory since the insurgency began in 2009. A retired diplomat said if Chadian links are verified, “then we have a potentially dangerous development in our hands. It could be a copycat scenario, considering how Muammar Ghaddafi destabilised West Africa as Libyan leader. Déby was very close to Ghaddafi and he may be copying his style.” Another senior intelligence officer told TheCable that the federal government is “seriously studying” possible links between Chad and Boko Haram. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #3 Time for the Foreign Legion to make a few house calls in Chad? |
| Posted by: Mystic 2014-12-04 07:54 |
| #2 What was that saying again? No blood for oil?? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2014-12-04 07:47 |
| #1 The French will likely not let Chad fall out of their sphere. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-12-04 05:40 |