On Twitter recently, the Nigeria armed forces announced that Baga, a town controlled by Boko Haram, had been recaptured. He stated :We have secured Baga. We are not in full control. There are only mopping up exercises left to do." On January 3, Baga had been taken by Boko Haram forces, along with several other neighboring towns as well. During this period of time, Boko Haram militants burned many settlements to the ground and killed hundreds. This area gave them access to the countries of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
Since then, the three countries have joined fight alongside Nigerian armed forces to recapture Baga and fight to oust Boko Haram. But is the fight too soon to call? Boko Haram currently controls an area mass the size of Belgium, and about a week ago, Boko Haram militants pushed into Chad and killed about 10 civilians before being pushed out by Chad forces. This was the jihadist group's first lethal attack on Chad, and many speculate that it was a response to Chad joining the Allies against them. Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shedau, directly addressed Idriss Deby, President of Chad. "Your alliance will not achieve anything", he said. "Amass all your weapons and face us. We welcome you."
Some estimate that close to 13,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram, and more than a million have gone missing or been displaced. However the terrorist group appears to be either regrouping for their next attack or purely on the run after joint attacks by national forces. Nigerian General Chris Olukolade is confident that "Not even the strategy of mining over 1,500 spots with land mines on the routes leading to the town could save the terrorists from the aggressive move of advancing troops."
Despite the confidence on both sides in this conflict that victory is inveitable, the fight is not over yet. The struggle continues in West Africa against Boko Haram.
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