The leaders of Nigeria and its neighbouring countries met in Niger on Tuesday, 7 October, for talks on finalising a multi-national force to fight Boko Haram Islamist militants. Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, Idriss Deby from Chad and Benin's Thomas Boni Yayi gathered in the Niger capital Niamey to discuss joint military action against the militants.

Cameroon, Nigeria's southeastern neighbour, which has experienced a number of incursions by the group in recent months, was represented by its foreign minister.

In May, African leaders agreed at a summit in Paris called by French President Francois Hollande to cooperate against the group through a slew of measures including joint border patrols and intelligence sharing. In July, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon each pledged 700 soldiers to create a multi-national force to fight the Nigeria-based group, which has killed more than 10 000 people since 2009.

The militants are thought to be in control of more than two dozen towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria and has launched a number of attacks on Cameroon soil. The military has struggled to meet a vow to retake all lost ground as part of an offensive launched in May 2013.

Now the leaders have stated that a regional force put in place to counter the Boko Haram jihadist group in Nigeria will start operations in November.

The leaders agreed to speed up the creation of a headquarters for the force and have military battalions deployed "to our respective borders" by 1 November, the heads of state said in a joint statement. The new headquarters for the force is now due to be completed by 20 November, they added. (AFP)

Courtesy of African Armed Forces Online - full article here