Army, Boko Haram Working Together in Parts of Nigeria?
A Nigerian soldier says he has witnessed incidents that suggest some Nigerian
military commanders are working with Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group
blamed for thousands of deaths since 2009.
In an exclusive interview with VOA's Hausa service, he described how his
military unit, based in the northeastern Borno State region, was ambushed by
Boko Haram fighters.
The soldier, who did not want to be identified, said the commander of a nearby
military unit, based in the town of Bama, recently sought assistance from his
unit in carrying out a raid.
The soldier said when the two military units joined up, they were given
different uniforms. The Bama unit commander gave his own troops green
uniforms. The soldier said his unit received tan "desert camouflage" uniforms.
When the troops reached the battle area, the soldier said the commander of the
better-equipped Bama unit suddenly withdrew his forces, leaving the remaining
troops to fend for themselves against Boko Haram fighters.
Speaking in Hausa, he said, "We had only light arms and our men were being
picked off one after the other."
The soldier also said he recognized some of the Boko Haram fighters as his
former military trainers in Kontagora, a town near the capital, Abuja.
"We realized that some of them were actually mercenaries from the Nigerian
army... hired to fight us," he said.
This soldier and others have said that too often, commanders have pocketed
money that was supposed to be used to help equip units.
Government has no comment
VOA has made repeated attempts to get reaction from the Nigerian government
for this story but no officials have been willing to speak on the record.
However, in a January 2012 speech, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said
Boko Haram members have infiltrated his government's executive, legislative
and judicial sectors, as well as the police and armed forces.
Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three northern regions where
Boko Haram is active, and launched operations to destroy the group's camps.
Despite those efforts, though, large-scale attacks have continued.
Soldier's account "credible"
Atlantic Council Africa Center Director Peter Pham said the soldier's account
could have merit.
"It certainly would not surprise me that it is happening," said Pham.
Pham said the goal should be to figure out how and why collaboration between
military officers and terror groups could happen.
"What’s critical is to understand, if there is this collusion, to understand
whether it is a collusion born of corruption, born of desperation simply to
avoid combat that would result in casualties for the men under your command,
or if it is born of ideological sympathy with the insurgents," he said.
Apart from some well-trained elite units, Pham said most of Nigeria's military
is "woefully underfunded and under-resourced" in terms of equipment and
training.
Effects of "systemic corruption"
E.J. Hogendoorn is deputy director of the International Crisis Group's Africa
program. The group recently released a detailed report about the Boko Haram
insurgency in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria's military disfunction is part of a broader problem of
systemic corruption extending through most government sectors.
Hogendoorn says "drivers," such as bad governance and the inability of state
institutions to provide basic services, help create a pool of unemployed youth
"ripe for radicalization."
"We argue that even were Boko Haram to be defeated, if you don’t deal with
those drivers, you are not going to be able to stabilize either northern
Nigeria or the entire country," he said.
Hogendoorn said in order for change to occur, the Nigerian government needs to
address corruption and poor governance in a systematic and sustained way.
Source: VOA
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