Mohamed Ibn Chambas,
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa, has
announced plans by the UN and the African Union (AU) to deploy 7,800
troops to fight Boko Haram.
Chambas told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos that the troops would be properly equipped to combat the insurgency in West and Central Africa.
The
special representative said the UN, AU and international partners met
last month at two separate meetings to deliberate on the modalities for
creating a multi-national joint taskforce.
Chambas added that the taskforce would be constituted with the contribution of troops from four countries.
“One
of the top priorities of the UN today is the fight against Boko Haram.
Boko Haram is not just a problem in Nigeria but has become an
international concern.
As we all know today, Boko Haram has also taken its atrocities to Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
This
is why the support for the Lake Chad Basin to be the platform for
coordinating a joint fight against Boko Haram is a welcome development.
The
Lake Chad Basin countries, AU, UN and international partners have
agreed to have a joint taskforce of 8,700 troops to be contributed by
four countries from Central and West Africa.
These
troops would be properly equipped to aggressively give fight Boko Haram
activities in the sub-region and Central Africa,’’ he said.
Chambas
said that there was a determination by the UN, AU and some
international partners to aggressively face the insurgents headlong.
The
UN official assured the Nigerian Government of the readiness of the
international community to support it closely in fighting the scourge of
Boko Haram in the North-East.
“The time has now come for us all to come all-out to stop Boko Haram activities in our communities.
The
fight against Boko Haram has become an international fight, an African
fight for sure, and will be anchored around the Lake Chad Basin
Commission but with support from us all,’’ he said.
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