₦airaland Forum

God bless Pakistan for such brotherhood with Nigeria. So beautiful birds and appropriate Imagine Dragons sound track to showcase it to the world for the first time from home soil you can't help but fall in love. Congratulations NAF.

JF-17N Thunder of Nigerian Air Force at Nigerian Air Base Makurdi ⚡ 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/c7R5VqlVfK

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) May 18, 2021

pic.twitter.com/zIyMBy4til

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) May 18, 2021

These capabilities make the NAF preeminent in sub-saharan Africa and potentially shifts the balance in Africa. More orders anticipated.

Avionics Suite

JF-17 Thunder
The avionics suite makes the JF-17 an effective weapon platform. The glass cockpit and hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls reduce pilot workload. Accurate navigation and weapon aiming information on the head up display help the pilot achieve his mission effectively. The multifunction displays provide information on engine, fuel, hydraulics, electrical, flight control and environmental control system on a need-to-know basis along with basic flight and tactical information. The capability has been built around highly modern state-of-the-art avionics equipment. The salient avionics equipment is as follows:

Dual redundant mission computers
Dual redundant 1553 Mux bus architecture
Multi-mode Pulse Doppler Radar capable of tracking multiple targets with prioritized firing
Ring laser gyro inertial navigation system tied with GPS
Smart head up display with up front control panel. SHUD total field of view is 25 Degrees
Color video recording camera and video recorder (for SMFCDs)
HOTAS
Three smart multi function color displays
Air Data Computer
Radar Altimeter
IFF Interrogator/Transponder
Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI)
BVR/Communication Data link
VHF / UHF Communication System

Weapons Capability

The aircraft is fitted with modern Stores Management System incorporating accurate weapon delivery modes and solutions involving minimum pilot workload. The aircraft is capable of carrying some of the most modern as well as conventional weapons, including:

70-100 Km range beyond visual range active missiles
Highly agile Imaging infrared short range missiles
Air to sea missiles
Anti radiation missiles
Laser guided weapons
Runway penetration bombs
General purpose bombs
Training bombs
23 mm double barrel gun

God bless Pakistan for such brotherhood with Nigeria. So beautiful birds and appropriate Imagine Dragons sound track to showcase it to the world for the first time from home soil you can't help but fall in love. Congratulations NAF.

JF-17N Thunder of Nigerian Air Force at Nigerian Air Base Makurdi ⚡ 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/c7R5VqlVfK

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) May 18, 2021

pic.twitter.com/zIyMBy4til

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) May 18, 2021

These capabilities make the NAF preeminent in sub-saharan Africa and potentially shifts the balance in Africa. More orders anticipated.

Avionics Suite

JF-17 Thunder
The avionics suite makes the JF-17 an effective weapon platform. The glass cockpit and hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls reduce pilot workload. Accurate navigation and weapon aiming information on the head up display help the pilot achieve his mission effectively. The multifunction displays provide information on engine, fuel, hydraulics, electrical, flight control and environmental control system on a need-to-know basis along with basic flight and tactical information. The capability has been built around highly modern state-of-the-art avionics equipment. The salient avionics equipment is as follows:

Dual redundant mission computers
Dual redundant 1553 Mux bus architecture
Multi-mode Pulse Doppler Radar capable of tracking multiple targets with prioritized firing
Ring laser gyro inertial navigation system tied with GPS
Smart head up display with up front control panel. SHUD total field of view is 25 Degrees
Color video recording camera and video recorder (for SMFCDs)
HOTAS
Three smart multi function color displays
Air Data Computer
Radar Altimeter
IFF Interrogator/Transponder
Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI)
BVR/Communication Data link
VHF / UHF Communication System

Weapons Capability

The aircraft is fitted with modern Stores Management System incorporating accurate weapon delivery modes and solutions involving minimum pilot workload. The aircraft is capable of carrying some of the most modern as well as conventional weapons, including:

70-100 Km range beyond visual range active missiles
Highly agile Imaging infrared short range missiles
Air to sea missiles
Anti radiation missiles
Laser guided weapons
Runway penetration bombs
General purpose bombs
Training bombs
23 mm double barrel gun

Induction of JF-17 loading. Grab your seat belt.

kikuyu1:
If I'm reading you correctly you want the following:
- a spearhead unit, to assault and seize territory for follow up forces
-also an expeditionary unit, capable of nearby foreign warfighting, ideally amphibious capable
- most ofc have ALL own platforms from air transport/CAS/armour/logistics etc,etc
These are the given requirements of the USMC Marine Expeditionary Unit, a brigade size unit, the basis of their unit structure.

[url]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_expeditionary_unit/url]

These platforms easily cost well North of 5 bn USD but despite same requirements Naij could scale down. Eg a lone bn with 16 Mi8s, 8 Mi 35s, UAV squadron, HQ Coy, single support coy incl 4 T 90 S and maybe 3 CASA 295s. All for under a half billion USD.

You are quite in the line of my thinking but the politicians in Abuja hearing that sum might not understand. In the shape of a battalion can be a starter with amphibious elements drawn from the Army and Naval infantry to save on costs for a new build up from scratch. The focus is first and foremost more on inculcating the marine fighting doctrine on the men followed up by adequate force enablers. A quarter million dollars should do or even less in the short term with assets used in an inter-operable environment from the NAF and the NA seconding some equipment and there we have the first set of Nigerian marines good to go.

ugo4u:
Some northern states go as far as sending their officials to screening grounds to verify if each candidates from their states are actually indigenes.
Some years back some group petitioned the COAS and Army HQ that many non-Zamfarans made the cut for NDA taking Zamfara slots. When I saw the petition I laugh tire and their reason was that the candidates had Christian names.
Nigeria matter complex no be small, the only system of governance that I think will ever work in this clime is regionalism(Weak centre and strong federation units) or something similar to what is practiced in the U.K.

The Swiss model but tweeked as a Federation so all the component parts of the Federation has a go of the presidency in a single term of say 5 or 6 years. We went the UK route in the 60s it got us a civil war. Let's do something us.

DubaiLandLord:
A lot of Nigerians don dey too overhype this Fulanis dominance.

During the time of Ihejirika as the COAS, Northerners(Fulanis,Hausas, Kanuris etc), Muslims from the Northern part of Nigeria to be precise where wailing about Christianisation .

There was a year like that, wey admission list into the NDA was release, in some Muslim majority states like Kaduna and Kwara, more Christians was giving admission compared to the Muslims. The Northerners including Fulanis were wailing seriously that year

All am trying to say is that, nah because a Fulani man dey power, nah why e dey be like this, once the vegetable leaves in 2023 and a southerner takes over, then all this Fulanis causing trouble about will be ruthlessly crushed.

A Nigerian president is so powerful. I just hope any southerner that takes over in 2023 really make restructuring his main objectives even if it will lead to war. Things can't continue this way. Things just dey spoil dey go since 1999. How much was a bottle of Coke sold in 1999, compare the price to that of 2003,2007,2011,2015 and 2019, then you go see say we are not moving forward.

Somethings are better left unsaid but you went straight for it. The C-in-C in power determines a whole lot in the current setting.

It goes as far as who the Captain of a Warship is. When President Jonathan was in power you could bet where the commanding officer of the NNS sailing from China to Nigeria would be from or the NNS sailing to Australia would be from or Brigade of Guards commander, COAS, CNS, CAS, GOCs, AOCs, FOCs of sensitive military installations. But it is not systemic so to say because the CDS which is the apex of the military High Command would often come from a different part of the country as the C-in-C. But the military can be credited with being detribalized and irreligious in its structure which is amazing in a country like Nigeria and has been the anchor still holding the Nigerian state together. It can be a model.

As you said under the present constitution the Nigerian President is really very powerful and there's nothing one can really do when someone you don't like his policies is in power other than to wait for the next elections or impeach him if absolutely necessary.

Right now President Buhari fits the bill of impeachment and should be impeached. He is single handedly the very problem of Nigeria currently. Every problem we are facing today which wasn't as acute can be traced to him. His nepotism is what is feeding the secessionist cry everywhere. People from other parts of the country don't feel they belong to this Nigerian project. You look at the Eid at Aso Rock the four top political positions in this country are currently all Muslim, three from the north alone, no igbo man or another tribe of religion. Such pictures make people sick however well intended you are.

President Obasanjo warned him. Former presidents warned him that no president before him ever tried that nonsense, that it is dangerous and they have been proven right. The agitations can be traced straight back to him and he won't listen rather opening new areas of threats for the military to quell thereby inadvertently overstretching these guys. Granted the constitution grants the president privilege to choose his aides but common sense is needed but this old man in Aso Rock won't listen and people feel alienated.

Even the north to a large degree have abandoned him and calling for his impeachment because people want to genuinely live together which I think is the better option and revisiting the constitution and restructuring is one way to decide how we live together. The leaders and people have to speak up, we don't actually have two years of his remaining presidency to wait. He and his APC party lied and continue to lie to the Nigerian people. Everything he promised he got there and changed becoming clannish.

Lurker4Long:
I find it interesting that Sierra Nevada submitted both M28 and Super Tucano for this programme. Oh well, hedging their bets.

And in other developments:

"Three A-29s are being delivered to AFSOC later this year, but not for Armed Overwatch. They will be used to train 6th SOS instructors for Combat Aviation Advisor embeds with foreign A-29 operators."

Personal opinion, not a reflection on Super Tucano, which I think is a superb platform:
I'm always wary when countries export weapons which they themselves have rejected in open competition. That goes for SA, Russia, Turkey, China and all other arms exporters.

Nothing to be wary about. You settled it with your bolded. It is a superb platform. Period. The USAF can buy what they want. Nations choosing to buy certain items over others is their sovereign choice to make and in terms of weapons systems does not reflect poorly on the choices of others. Everyone buys according to their needs.

It's only amateurs on the internet and paid hacks by arms merchants that troll on the internet about such matters while in real life other factors at play determine arms purchase.

The Americans often buy exorbitantly and wasteful and sometimes buy just for pride. They'd rather buy something else than use the A-29s that is the preferred COIN platforms for most Air Forces worldwide to appear special and end up of course wasting tax payers money. Most of their own elements want those A-29s but the culture is eaten so deep to appear unique from others. Take an example of the F-22 Raptors soon to be retired because of maintenance issues and other technological factors. This aircraft hasn't seen real heavy air superiority combat for which it was built and for which it has sunk billions of dollars. What a waste. Even stealth generally has been exaggerated. The Russians can pick it up with their Su-35s. The Germans have already developed radar that can detect stealth aircraft and aren't even interested in the F-35s rather buying more Typhoons.

In the case of Nigeria the NAF buys after extensive vetting by military intelligence tasked with generating the necessary intelligence about the military, diplomatic and geo-political advantages of such weapons purchase vis-a-vis technology, cost, maintenance, firepower of such assets over active and potential enemies. We don't have the kind of money the US military has to waste so we tend to buy smart. The A-29s are deadly beasts in the air and we are just fine. Thanks.

JOSCOFELIX:
THE 72 MOBLIE STRIKE FORCE/SF AND AFSF IS VERY ACTIVE . 72MSF/SF HAVE THEIR BATTALION IS BEUNE STATE. WHILE THE AFSF HAVE THEIR BATTALION IN ABUJA UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER AND THE CDS. I DO NOT KNOW WHO LIE TO YOU PEOPLE ABOUT THE CLOSING OF 72MSF AND AFSF. SOME AFSF AND 72MST ARE IN THE BATTLEFIELD, AND GOES TO HIGH THREAT MISSION.

Please give us any citation of their recent activity in the Borno theater of operations. We all know where they are or were based. The 72 MSF had been in existence long before the AFSF which was created as a matter of exigency by the former CDS General Gabriel Olonishakin. Today there's a proliferation of many army special forces units across the north east used as the spear.

The guys here know the 72nd no longer operates in the North East in the mould it did under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. Then BHTs occupied large swathes of territory and the 72nd was prominent in dislodging them. Today a different dynamic exists in theater and the commanders have since adjusted. There's no recent evidence of the AFSF operating as it did under General Olonishakin rather these units operate more independently across the theater. The Nigerian Army has multiple Special Forces.

abiodunalasa:
Oga Covert1 me and my boys always argue whether you're an insider or just a ahua journalist...

I don miss you

We find way waka...we no fit show face just incognito in plain sight. That Aso Rock man no dey hear something. U meet us where u leave us.

kabe1:
I believe there's an institutional crisis in the army. Our soldiers on video always look and sound so unprofessional.

First I thought it was a one off thing, but with each video, it seems much deeper rot has taken place.

Soldiers are generally like that. You need to come into personal contact with a British soldier or most soldiers of the advanced countries and you will be shocked at the vulgarity especially when drunk. Russians are some of the toughest you will find. It takes a certain level of madness to do the job. It is one reason why we say an officer and a gentleman. It is not everybody that can have the discipline to kill for a just cause and remain sane. Except one is criminal minded by nature give a man a gun to shoot another man and he won't be able to fire his weapon. Men are chosen carefully.

Discipline should be enforced but sometimes you cut the soldiers some slack especially when they are not in uniform and not on duty else you may have a morale problem common in war.

kabe1:
We don't need to raise a new branch of fighting forces, we already have to many armed individuals parading across Nigeria with conflicting mandates.

72 MSF and AFSF shouldn't have been disbanded. One would think that AFSF and 72 MSF would have grown in capacity by now.

We cannot keep buying equipment and sending to the army, then that equipment ends up in the hands of the insurgents. It's counter-productive.

You lose equipment in war, but the high rate of loss of equipment in the army is abnormal.

Indeed there's some sort of overlapping of duties all around though well intended doesn't appear well applied. In a real time exigency they can be quickly drafted or absorbed for combat so theoretically they are human force multipliers.

But the point I suggested of standing up new forces like the US marines is because of your repeated disappointment with the army. And by standing up a new force I mean another arm of the military, not a paramilitary force but military.

The army generally world over by their profile and training fights a certain way. To put it more succinctly the soldier fights like a lion but the marine fights like a tiger. By nature the lion king of the jungle fights if it can win else it prepares for another day but the tiger fights to the death even if it knows it can't win. I have refrained from this suggestion but some of these overlapping security agencies in Nigeria or the burgeoning youth population is fertile for recruitment to stand up a crack 4th military arm of marines that do no tactical retreat but fight to the hilt. They are also suitable as first waves of an expedition.

The marines have served the US military well from Vietnam to Iraq and gives the army a run. In some ways it stimulates and motivates the army positively which generally bears the brunt of a nations fight on a large scale. The crises we face today in Nigeria demands some critical change.

To the best of my knowledge The 72 mobile strike force of the army and AFSF of DHQ was collapsed in favor of Mobile Strike Teams (MSTs) conducting long range recce patrols apparently under then OPLD theater commander Major General Ibrahim Attahiru now General Attahiru and Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

At the onset the work of the MSTs wasn't so evident which led to Gen. Attahiru being adjudged incompetent and relieved of command but subsequently the MSTs appear to have been the arrow head of every theater commander sent to OPLD HQ Maiduguri. The MSTs operate rather quietly but have been the main clearance forces.

I was one of the first to say General Attahiru as OPLD theater commander was incompetent but I don't want to believe the demons that followed Gen. Attahiru to OPLD HQ Maiduguri has followed him to Army HQ Abuja. The man is clearly highly educated with innovative ideas that requires time and patience to reap its fruits. We need to give him time. With the recent events in Damasak and elsewhere which saw the army holding the fort without going on the offensive choosing rather to wait for force enablers and close air support while repelling the enemy it clearly shows the new Service Chiefs are wont to work together in synergy in a joint operational environment under the leadership and direction of the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Lucky Irabor.

About the loss of equipment as you have alluded some would be lost to attrition, human error, incompetence at some level and even the elements. We can do more to mitigate them to slow the enemy but any army would always be greedy for more equipment and for me we don't yet have enough in sufficient numbers.

Training is a continuous and should be tailor specific for troops being deployed up north. Most of the soldiers go with their basic skills which may not be the required advanced CT/COIN skills set. But I must add they have done creditably well under the circumstances with what they have.

Following the above its game time. First it was the Air Chief now its the Army Chief both saying the same thing. Effectively DHQ owns this war.

Let's see how this plays out with critical analysis. I have a good feeling of Gen. Irabor in the saddle.

Following the above its game time. First it was the Air Chief now its the Army Chief both saying the same thing. Effectively DHQ owns this war.

Let's see how this plays out with critical analysis. I have a good feeling of Gen. Irabor in the saddle.

NIGERIAN ARMY RENAMES OPERATION IN THE NORTH EAST, SEEKS INCLUSIVENESS

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru has approved the renaming of the ongoing Counterinsurgency Operation in the North East from Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK). This is premised on the fact that the Nigerian Army (NA) has made a lot of progress over the years and needs to re-align for better efficiency. Also affected in the re-designation are the Army Super Camps which now reflect the nomenclature of the formations and units followed by the name of the locations they occupy while sub-units are redesigned as Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) followed by the name of their locations. All these changes are with immediate effect.

The renaming is in line with the COAS Vision of having "A Nigerian Army that is Repositioned to Professionally Defeat all Adversaries in a Joint Environment". It is the believe of the COAS that the complete defeat of insurgency is a process that requires the participation of the entire nation using all elements of national power. He further assured that the NA under his leadership will continue to pursue the path of jointness in prosecuting the counterinsurgency war.

Mohammed Yerima
Brigadier General
Director Army Public Relations
30 April 2021

NIGERIAN ARMY RENAMES OPERATION IN THE NORTH EAST, SEEKS INCLUSIVENESS

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru has approved the renaming of the ongoing Counterinsurgency Operation in the North East from Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK). This is premised on the fact that the Nigerian Army (NA) has made a lot of progress over the years and needs to re-align for better efficiency. Also affected in the re-designation are the Army Super Camps which now reflect the nomenclature of the formations and units followed by the name of the locations they occupy while sub-units are redesigned as Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) followed by the name of their locations. All these changes are with immediate effect.

The renaming is in line with the COAS Vision of having "A Nigerian Army that is Repositioned to Professionally Defeat all Adversaries in a Joint Environment". It is the believe of the COAS that the complete defeat of insurgency is a process that requires the participation of the entire nation using all elements of national power. He further assured that the NA under his leadership will continue to pursue the path of jointness in prosecuting the counterinsurgency war.

Mohammed Yerima
Brigadier General
Director Army Public Relations
30 April 2021

kabe1:
"I assume you don't see the monumental gains in fielding a well trained army?".

I presume if we disband the Nigerian Army today or utterly change its profile we may see the irony of this statement. We can raise a new branch of fighting forces like the US marines with a whole different concept of fighting to help the army.

kabe1:
All these equipment would result to nothing if the troops to man them are poorly trained and organized.

It's not rocket science, it's not about buying equipment.

Just this week, we saw brand new MRAPs, not yet driven captured by the insurgents. Not only did they capture them, they went on to attack and dislodge an outpost defended by a T-55 and BTR-4E.

Someone made a mistake. It's an embarrassing setback but I don't think it reflects poorly on the troops I think rather it shows the ingenuity of the enemy and we should adjust accordingly. Whatever training you bring onboard will still be tested and bested by an enemy seeking to survive. It's both ways training and equipment.

LTGEN:
You don’t have enough equipment it has nothing do with Training. Period emphasis.
The US reinvented the largest Tank in the world to able to withstand an IED blast.
They scrapped the Original Hummer and reinforced it with double thick doors and Chassis.
The best trained Soldiers blown to bits because you put him in a Thin skinned Toyota Hilux is not common sense.
You need 24 Hour surveillance of ALL your Super camps and Fobs that is not an expensive it is keeping your Men alive.
You don’t Train dead Men.
A Helicopter can can carry 25 men 100Km at a Optimum speed of 100km/hr in 1hour with weapons and equipment.
You need 12 of those.
These are facts.
We need to end this War by 2022.

Some points right here

iblawi:
The more we run from the truth the farther the reality is from us. This men are not well trained and they are very irresponsible.

Don't let your emotions get the better of you. Wars are not won by sensationalism. Taking one incident or isolated incidents of setback when put up against the numerous successes of the Army against BHT/ISWAP terrorists in an attempt to denigrate the sacrifices of these fine men and women of the Nigerian Army is disingenuous and does nothing to motivate the troops. I think everyone means well but ridiculing a whole army with various fighting units of different capabilities doesn't make the curve.

War is not picnic or Hollywood action movie and one reason we keep purveying this mindset on nairaland and twitterland is because we underrate the enemy. It is evident ISWAP has commando style elements in its ranks or raid parties and also what appears to be seasoned advisors. We can't keep underating these guys plus ISWAP' philosophy of battle is die at all cost and get what you want though unsustainable if the army continue to have a high rate of decimation of their ranks.

The recent incident in Mainok is ISWAP having you were they wanted and exploited the situation. They also had the element of surprise. All this kindergarten talk on Nairaland by would be arm-chair-generals who know nothing about the reality of war makes it seem like defeating an insurgency a walk in the park. It is not. If anybody thinks he is the wiser he should join the army and I can bet not 1 percent here will pass basic training.

In contact with the enemy even your training can take a back burner in the heat of things until you recover to engage that is why ambushes have been a very effective shock tool of combatants.

The onus is on us to hold territory not on them which gives them freedom of action to hit and run. One way or the other these things are gonna happen in which you have a slugfest which is what happened. To the credit of the Nigerian Army they have always gone back to avenge those losses with devastating effect, the records are there. In these engagements ISWAP may also be seeking a psychological victory beyond capturing equipment and weapons to fight another day.

The Nigerian Army is well trained and equipped for a standard army. Let's cut to the chase, do they need more training yes because in the military you train and retrain based on evolving threats, it's like acquiring education. What the argument should be is how do you tailor your doctrine to meet an adaptive, determined and almost elusive enemy.

I am not sure but it seems the doctrine of closing with the enemy and defeat it by the Nigerian Army has been jettisoned in current tactical operations especially with the Super Camps. That doctrine is outmodeled in an asymmetric environment. I'm not even sure with current technologies it is any longer applicable in a modern conventional war.

To the credit of the army it has itself adapted many times but not fast enough and that's attributable to the hierarchy of command which takes time to adopt change of battle plans. You'd appraise the performance of a new commander in say some 90 days, time also required to implement his battle plans to the threat environment. The reality is in that time there would be gaps exploited by the enemy.

Whatever ISWAP has got up its sleeves is not sustainable as the Army is still having the upper hand and bleeding them of men which has other side effects to any fighting force. Should Nigeria galvanize all elements of its national power including the media it's only a matter of time.

About needing more equipment no military ever has enough.

Yagz:
Egypt's millitary 'sugar daddies' in the form of UAE and Saudi Arabia? Boy I'm cracking up with laughter!!!

Serioulsy though I'm green with envy - and looking forward to Nigeria one day hopefully acquiring such helpful millitary 'sugar daddies/mummies'- lol!

You cannot become a true power by being subservient. I actually prefer we go the China route to becoming self-sufficient. There's nothing like a free lunch. Those freebies come with strings attached. Saudia Arabia ultimately depends on Egypt for its survival in the event of an invasion and the US supplies Egypt as part of the peace agreement with Israel. Nigeria's Defence Intelligence Agency provides for procurement that gives it decision advantage in event of war without any strings attached. I subscribe to the school of thought of the latter.

iSWAP to all intents and purposes have the appearance of enhanced services of Spec Ops advisors. The forces in this war are not taking anything for granted. They want a weak Nigeria. The pattern of attacks, carefully crafted and choice of attacks is not average in military terms. The Nigerian military should be commended for its efforts not pilloried. More to come.

Be talking to them while you are killing them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Uj3tqT7CU

There are still wise men in the land

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYU3zaMu61c

The president has betrayed his oath of office and good people everywhere should come together and ensure the rubber stamp National Assembly commence impeachment proceedings. This president Buhari is the worst and most inept this country has ever had and must be impeached.

The whole deterioration in security seems to be orchestrated to satisfy the whims and caprices of forces beyond our borders for their own gain.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/africa/550499-nigerian-president-calls-on-us-to-relocate-africa-command

Chad family feud intensifies transition
tensions after Idriss Déby's death

BBC Monitoring

The naming of Mahamat Idriss Déby as his father's successor may not go unchallenged
The swiftly executed transfer of power in Chad to Gen Mahamat Idriss Déby after his father's death appears to be threatened by family divisions and fractures in the military that could have serious consequences.

Mahamat Deby was controversially named the leader of the Transitional Military Council (CMT) in the same announcement of his father's death on 20 April.

He now heads a 15-member team that intends to oversee the country's transition period for the next 18 months.

But media reports of palace intrigue involving other members of his late father's family have reinforced a perception of rocky times ahead for the country.

Family rivalries

The late President Idriss Déby Itno strategically consolidated power during his 30-year presidency by assigning senior government roles to family members and surrounding himself with allies from his Zaghawa ethnic group.

On 21 April, Chadian media reported scuffles between Mahamat Déby and his step-brother, Zakaria Idriss Déby, at the presidential palace. Reports claimed the quarrel was over their father's succession.


A senior member of the CMT rejected speculation that shots had been fired, denouncing such reports as attempts at "destabilising the system".

Before Mahamat was named, Zakaria Idriss Déby is said to have been among those in line for succession.

He studied in Tunisia and, in 2017, was appointed Chad's ambassador to the UAE. He also served as the youth president of the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement.

Tchadinfos tweets that there was "no shoot-out at the Palais Rose and no quarrel" citing a family member, presumably keen to present a united front in the face of uncertainty. But the rivalry in the first family has been a public fixation for a while.

The late president had several wives, the most prominent of whom is Hinda Déby Itno.

Hinda Deby Itno has also wielded significant influence in government
The daughter of a high-ranking Chadian diplomat, Hinda Déby, 41, served as the former president's private secretary before she stepped down to focus on her foundation, Grand Coeur. She has also played a key role in Chad's oil sector.

With several of her siblings employed at the presidency, she was able to influence appointments and dismissals in government.

Her brother, Khoudar Mahamat Acyl, was the late president's aide-de-camp. He was present when President Déby was fatally wounded in a battle with rebels in the northern Kanem region.

Three other brothers served as health, justice and education ministers.

In January 2020, when the late president was taken ill, he left the first lady in charge of the presidency office to prevent confrontation between Mahamat and Zakaria, the Zoom Tchad website reported.

"Idriss Déby's plan for his wife to maintain his power is an important sign because he did not choose one of his sons. This would also open the door to hostilities and a war of succession," the website said at the time.

Spillover into the military
The succession feud is likely to involve more family members with various interests - especially in the the powerful military, where there are signs of a split as well.

Veteran Gen Abderamane Dicko has denounced the new transition council. The former rebel leader still serves in Chad's military and is said to represent soldiers who are against Mahamat Déby's leadership.

Gen Dicko has called the military council "a grouping of a few friends" and has called for "the quick formation of a broad, inclusive consultation before the country sinks into chaos", Tchadanthropus website has reported.

If Déby's family and more senior military officials openly challenge Mahamat Déby's leadership, the tensions could jeopardise the interim government's efforts to stabilise Chad after three decades of leadership by the same man.

BBC News

Chad after Idriss Déby:

African Union urges end to military rule

24 April 2021

The African Union has called for an end to military rule in Chad, whose president was killed by rebels.

The army immediately announced that Idriss Déby's son would head a military council for 18 months before elections were held.

Former colonial power France, which has a large military base in Chad, appeared to back the takeover for "stability" amid "exceptional circumstances".

Opposition parties have also condemned what they called a "dynastic coup".

Trade union have called for a general strike, while rebel group Fact said Chad was "not a monarchy".

The African Union's Peace and Security Council voiced "grave concern" about the military takeover which put 37-year-old Gen Mahamat Déby Itno in charge and saw parliament dissolved.

The AU's 15-member security body discussed the situation on Thursday but waited until after Déby's funeral on Friday to issue its statement.

It said power should be restored to civilian authorities "expeditiously".

According to the constitution, the speaker of parliament should take over in the event of the president's death, and organise new elections.

Déby, 68, had just been elected for a sixth term in office when the army announced on Tuesday that he had been fatally wounded in a clash with rebel Fact fighters in the northern region of Kanem.

He was a key ally of France in the fight against jihadist groups across West Africa and French President Emmanuel Macron was among the foreign leaders and thousands of Chadians who paid their respects at his funeral.

President Macron was seated next to Gen Mahamat Déby Itno during Friday's funeral

Standing beside Déby's coffin, Mr Macron said: "You lived as a soldier, you died as a soldier with weapons in hand. You gave your life for Chad in defence of its citizens."

While he was in Chad, Mr Macron held talks with Gen Mahamat Déby Itno, along with the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which are all battling various Islamist groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaeda and others the Islamic State group.

Chad's president was one of Africa's longest-serving rulers and a close ally of the Western powers, especially France.

The support given to president Idriss Déby - officially aimed at fighting against rebel groups and Islamist militants in West and Central Africa - consisted of intelligence for the Chadian army, aerial surveillance, and even protecting strategic points for the Chadian army.

The presence of a foreign army is never well received by the local population, especially when they are soldiers of the former colonial power.

The idea that France deliberately maintains a certain chaos in the region to defend its interests is believed by many.

But divisions within Chad's military - who only partially support the new leader while rebels reject him outright - raises fears of instability as a fragile transition gets underway.

SamuelAnyawu:
Are you insinuating that ISWAP should continually attack a town with a military base and go home scot free as long as they do not attack the Military base in that town?

I’m always of the opinion that something needs to be done about this. What’s the essence of spending millions of dollars on equipments only to have our enemies rampaging the town while the military keeps watching and being on alert from a 500meters range.

Something different needs to be done to teach these guys a hard lesson.

That something to be done will be done. But you don't expose strategies and methods to your enemy. What is abundantly clear and they know it is their will be an offensive by the military and until that happens yes expect more attacks.

ISWAP want you exposed to fight to the death and what for to prove the Nigerian Army is not invincible and that fight is unnecessary it only plays to the strengths of ISWAP and not ours.

iboboyswag:
Maybe not directly but by proxy they would... Especially when their interest is affected.

Nigeria has been able to, to a large extent fend off their influence due to a compendium of factors to our advantage.

Sound argument

SamuelAnyawu:
You’ve said it all. A week to the Sallah festivity I’m off to Maiduguri.
The method of defending just supercamps and leaving ISWAP to have a field day in the host community remains a slap on our armed forces. Tho ISWAP never tried this when our Neighboring Soldiers were around, well they knew it will result In an open shootout

Good Morning great Patriots

Hi Samuel, pls I advice you to stop being suggestive. I principally came here to reply this comment. The Nigerian Armed Forces is not a fifteen century army that do slug fest to pump chest. It is a modern Army with able officers and men and equipment in tow. We don't fight like Chad or Cameroon, even Cameroon in my opinion is better than Chad no much different in style of fighting than the rampaging terrorists.

If you want to buy the narrative of the western media that Chad have to quote "the regions best trained army" then hope you sleep better at night if it helps you but any military expert knows that is hogwash and useless propaganda to massage the egos of the late Deby to continue to send his men to die for France and himself typical of a dictator.

That they crossed and did one or two noise making events and left without holding ground has no strategic effect on the war. The Nigerian Army has gone back to every place those armies fought to do the heavy lifting. And what people forget is that the Nigerian Army not only fights to take these places but it also has to hold them. That my friend is a whole different ball game.

You don't come in make one or two gra gra then tell me you are a fighting Army yet in thirty years you have rebellion left, right and center in your country some times right to the door step of your palace except when France intervenes.

Please give me a break no modern day army fights the enemy on his terms, not the US, not Britain, not Russia and certainly not the Nigerian Army. As this war evolves we continue to understand the modus operandi of ISWAP. One Nigerian soldier means a lot to them and to us and they know it so they would rather be cannon fodders to achieve their objective. Not exactly tactically sound.

One thing is certain they can't win this war so the Nigerian Army will continue to kill them until we get to a threshold where they are unable to replace as many men killed quickly enough to sustain the war. Presently they are being taught a bitter lesson on our terms and they are doing just what any enemy would do knowing there are incoming wonder weapons that will be a game changer so why expose our men to a slug fest.

ugo4u:
Nigeria as presently constituted don't have the capacity to end France hegemony on West Africa. Ask yourself do we even have a foreign policy in the first place? We are lucky France isn't really interested in the affairs of Nigeria, if we provoke them to beam their search light on us believe you me there may be a coup in Nigeria. It's like we all don't really know how deeply divided this country have sunk. Some people are ready to sabotage Nigeria even without any form of incentive as long as they get logistic support.
The centre is already weak as there is no leadership presently in Nigeria, give or take we are towing the Yugoslavia path except something urgent is done to put the nation on a 180° turn.

Yes and no. France is not fighting the disparate tribes or constituent states it will be fighting the elements that constitute the power of the Nigerian state namely the military and the nations intelligence apparatus. We've been here before with the Biafran war and France failed. A lot of our problems are internal and one way or the other it inhibits us reaching our full potential and we need restructuring or some form of twerking of our current political experiment. Yet you underestimate Nigeria to your own peril as a foreign power. What exactly has France being able to pull off, please check your history. It is in their psyche to be egregious but when push comes to shove they bail. Before the second world war it was claimed France had the best standing army but Hitler road into Paris and humiliated them signing the terms of surrender. Same with Vietnam. All they do is go in somewhere start the fire and take off for others to pick up the pieces. France is a declining power for a long time and would rather be in Nigeria's good graces to trade as it is doing now and also to continue to feed fat off its colonies. We haven't started to assert ourselves, when we get the right leaders you will see a whole new dynamic foreign policy that will make Africa and the black man everywhere proud to be African. Also to be clear France nor the West won't get involved in an African war.

SamuelAnyawu:
How would we solve this issue of blackout in Borno.

Abi we go wait till Insurgency end?

Borno is in the line of fire presently and everyone knows development cannot work in an area of conflict. Let's be logical here and be practical.

Odunayaw:
As far as I'm concerned. French hegemony in Africa can only end/wane by a strong ECOWAS. A strong ECOWAS is a strong Nigeria. Our neighborhood is too full of backstabbers for me to even want to us to dirty our hands in playing big brother

I concur "A strong ECOWAS is a strong Nigeria". A strong Nigeria is also a strong ECOWAS. A weak Nigeria is a disaster for all of Africa. We can even stretch it to say a strong African Union behind Nigeria taking the lead is a force to be reckoned with in global affairs. The way to shut down these colonialists once and for all is to be united. But fifth columnists abound everywhere because of envy. The likes of Quattara helped by Jonathan to office now a total lackey of France and then the perennial ruler in Cameroon and even worse South Africa under Jacob Zuma and other puppets of the west. I expected more from Ramaphosa but with him and his ANC already advocating support for the junta in N'djamena for the sake of stability raises questions of what are there motives here. The whole chad business screams bad news with terrorists running amok and cheap Libyan weapons awash in the entire sub-region.

Another option is to allow the regional hegemons a seat on the UNSC with veto power but here we are with the west playing brother against brother. ECOWAS still seems the best route for Nigeria but Africa would be better off with Nigeria as its lead voice in global affairs much like Europe defers to America. Many will not agree with me and may clamor instead for a United States of Africa but I don't see Nigeria with its huge population and potential acceding to such ideas which is why it supports the gradualist position of integrating the African Union. The strategic patience Nigeria has thus far employed might need to be jettisoned for a more robust assertive foreign policy to whip these nations into line for true emancipation.