U.S Backs Buhari’s Strategy Against Boko Haram, Poverty, Corruption

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s focus on combining a military offensive with the fight against poverty and corruption is the right approach in the battle against the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, a senior U.S. defense official said.

“They understand military pressure by itself will not tackle the overall problem and understand the need for a truly integrated approach,” U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Amanda J. Dory said in an interview at the Pentagon in Washington. “This is something the previous Nigerian government said, and had strategy documents to articulate such an approach, but they weren’t actually implementing.”
Muhammadu Buhari


Buhari beat President Goodluck Jonathan in elections this year after a campaign in which he pledged to end the threat of the insurgents who are trying to carve out an Islamic state in Africa’s biggest economy. He also promised to fight graft and narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The violence, mainly centered in Boko Haram’s stronghold of northeastern Nigeria, has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than a million since 2009, stunting economic development in one of the country’s poorest regions and forcing schools and markets to close. The insurgency captured international attention in April 2014 when the militants kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in the town of Chibok, sparking a social media campaign known as #BringBackOurGirls for their return home. Most remain missing.
U.S. Military

The U.S. announced last month it’s sending as many as 300 non-combat troops to neighboring Cameroon to bolster a regional force that’s fighting Boko Haram, including its intelligence-gathering activities.
MAP: Nigeria & Neighbors

MAP: Nigeria & Neighbors

Almost six months into his term, Buhari has relocated the army’s headquarters from Abuja to Maiduguri, the epicenter of the insurgency, replaced his top military chiefs and vowed to recover billions of dollars stolen in corruption scandals. Still, his plan to bring change risks being undermined by an economic slump from the low price of oil, the country’s main revenue earner.

“The application of military pressure does not address any of the so-called underlying grievances in an enduring way,” said Dory, who has met Buhari twice since he took office in May. The president visited Washington in July and she was in Nigeria last month.
Multinational Force

The conflict has spilled across the borders, spurring neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger to join a multinational force to battle the militants. The coalition has helped dislodge rebels from some of their positions, although bombings in towns and cities continue.

Source: naija247news