AU plans regional army to support the fight against Boko haram

5th Feb 2015 The menace of dreaded militant group, Boko haram in Nigeria has proven to be a cause for major concern globally, and countries in Africa have not been spared in the worry about the distasteful situation. To this effect, the African union has had discussions and decided to form a five nation regional army which will support Nigeria’s forces to battle the terrorists.

This decision by the Union has been met with the commendation of United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at an African Union summit which was held in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, with the secretary general welcoming the proposal that will set up the force of  about 7 500 troops.

While noting that military means probably aren’t the only solution, Mr. Ban Ki Moon said that the United Nations is ready to assist in the fight with the Union. He added that there should be very careful analysis of the root causes of why this kind of terrorism, and extremism, violent extremism, are spreading.

At the summit, the Secretary General is quoted as saying, “I welcome the decision of the AU and regional countries to establish a Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram. They have committed unspeakable brutality. Those terrorists should be addressed with a regional and international co-operation. Not a single country, even the regional countries, can handle this alone,”

According to officials at the event, the matter will be discussed more in Cameroon within the next few days. It is noted that the terrorist activities which first affected Nigeria, have also spread to some neighboring countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon.