Boko bullies 'weak' armies By David Blair

Boko Haram routinely sells its prisoners into slavery. File photo
Image by: AFP

The Islamist gunmen struck across Nigeria's eastern border into Cameroon this week, raiding villages and taking about 80 captives.
Boko Haram routinely sells its prisoners into slavery.
Cameroon's army claimed to have rescued about 20 of the captives yesterday but it has only 12500 soldiers to protect a country almost twice the size of Britain.
A force of 7000 troops - more than half of the entire army - has been deployed in the far north, where Boko Haram's latest raids have taken place.


"Cameroon's forces have been proactive in tackling Boko Haram and the Cameroon government has been critical of the Nigerian government for not doing enough," said Virginia Comolli, the author of Boko Haram: Nigeria's Islamist Insurgency.
But she questioned whether Cameroon was capable of protecting itself, pointing out that the country had accepted military reinforcements from neighbouring Chad.

"The fact that already the Chadians have become involved indicates that a regional approach is needed. One country alone is not going to be able to handle this," said Comolli.
Britain and France have helped in the creation of a multinational force to fight Boko Haram, comprising soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

So far, the new unit has made no difference. All four countries stand in the path of Boko Haram's advance and play host to thousands of refugees, but they have not yet mounted a co-ordinated military operation. Despite facing a common threat, the governments appear too mistrustful of each other to join forces against the Islamists.

Boko Haram now controls large swathes of northeast Nigeria. From this secure base its gunmen now appear to have decided to conquer northern Cameroon.
Most of the group's leaders, including Abubakar Shekau, a self-styled "emir", are from the Kanuri ethnic group, whose homeland spans the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Comolli said that Boko Haram had not yet achieved outright control over areas of Cameroon, but warned that this was the "trajectory they are now on".

On paper, the Nigerian army has the military strength to beat the insurgents but, according to Ben Barry, a specialist in land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in London, "corruption" and "nepotism" prevent it from doing so.

"Boko Haram has fighting forces that are better led, highly motivated and - by virtue of years of fighting - highly experienced and effective," he said.
It was reported yesterday that hundreds of people from four villages near the Nigerian town of Baga had fled their homes after a warning by Boko Haram insurgents.
Residents of the Kekenu, Budur, Yoyo and Mile 90 villages, about 40km from the fishing town of Baga, in Borno State, fled after a visit from the Islamists on Monday.

Source-  David Blair, © The Daily Telegraph