The leaders of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and the Central African Republic gathered in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, to discuss the deteriorating security situation in areas attacked by Boko Haram militants.
The one-day summit discussed ways to build the capacity of the Joint Task Force Combat with Islamist insurgents.
This force, supported by Western countries, includes soldiers from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria to monitor the Lake Chad region with the help of vigilance committees composed of local citizens.
The president of Benin – whose country supplies troops to the force – was also invited. During their closed-door meeting, “the heads of state and government expressed their deep concern over the renewed attacks.” And said they wanted to “change their approach in the fight against BokoHaram”.
The presidents of Nigeria, Niger and Chad, as well as the Cameroonian Prime Minister, called for the “the support” of the international community in the fight against the jihadist group.
The UN estimates that more than two million people have been displaced by the crisis in the Lake Chad region due to violent conflict, climate change and extreme poverty.
