African securityNigeria wants Cameroon’s help on Islamic insurgency

Nigerian government in aid talks with neighboring Cameroon // Source: tabula.ge

Nigeria has a problem: in the face of growing military campaign by the federal government against Islamist insurgents in three states in north-east Nigeria, some of the insurgents have found it safer to relocate to neighboring Cameroon. They launch their attacks against targets inside Nigeria – then retreat to the safety of Cameroon, where they know the Nigerian military will not pursue them.

Labaran Maku , the Nigerian Minister of Information and Supervising Minister for the Ministry of Defense, said the Nigerian government is now engaged in talks with the government of Cameroun, asking it to halt the influx of insurgents into Nigeria.

AllAfrica reports that the massive deployment of troops and materials following the establishment of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri has reduced the flow of attacks by insurgents in the north-east and in Borno and Yobe states.

The Nigerian government has allocated funds from the defense budget to construct military barracks and build other facilities, train personnel, and provide the necessary equipment to bolster the campaign against the Islamists.

Maku said: “The recent attacks on Bama as we know came from across the border of Cameroun. We are working hard to reach out to the Cameroonian government and other international agencies to ensure that we continue to put pressure on the insurgents from both sides of the boundary so that in the end, by the grace of God, we should witness greater success against insurgency in 2014.

“What is clear is that in the year 2013, tremendous success was made and most of the insurgents that infiltrated other states from the North-east when the pressure was on them were picked up. Some were picked up in faraway places as Lagos and Ogun and a number of them are now in detention and trial is going on gradually.”

The minister admitted, though, that there is no purely military solution to the problem of urban insurgency and rural guerrilla, He said concerted efforts by both the government and citizens in intelligence-gathering were important to flush out the insurgents.

AllAfrica quotes Maku to say that part of the campaign against the insurgents should be a greater governmental effort to drive an economic recovery of the north-east in response to the devastation and socio-economic setback suffered by the region as a result of the insurgency. “The President at the Economic Forum in the North-east unfolded a new agenda for the economic support of the North-east. From this year’s budget, some provisions are now being made to really give the North-east support,” Maku said.

“What is seen in the budget is not the end of the matter. There will be a lot of other support coming in and what will unfold will enable the Federal Government, international agencies, friendly governments abroad and also the private sector to make special contributions for the development of the north-east,” he said.