After a deadly attack that killed 40 Chadian soldiers at the Barkaram military base, Chadian President Mahamat Deby Itno has ordered intensified military operations against Boko Haram fighters along the shores of Lake Chad.
The operations, involving both air and ground assaults, are forcing the terrorists to retreat from their positions and seek refuge in nearby villages in Nigeria and Niger.
President Itno’s directive, issued from the frontlines, follows his decision to withdraw Chad from the Multi-National Joint Task Force, a regional coalition with Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
Local sources and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members report that Boko Haram fighters, fleeing the intense Chadian bombardment, are now infiltrating communities in Nigeria’s Borno State and Niger’s border villages.
According to villagers, the fighters are taking residents hostage and pressuring them to reveal safe escape routes.
A local farmer who recently survived an encounter with the militants shared that the fighters detained several fishermen, only releasing them hours later before fleeing.
Villages in Kukawa Local Government Area, including Mangari, Doron Naira, and Malam Karanti, are reported to be sheltering some of these fleeing terrorists.
A CJTF member indicated that the militants are also using villagers’ boats to cross riverbanks undetected, targeting Nigerien border villages like Tunbun Bagudu, Gadira, Bulatigir, and Lelewa for shelter.
Local security forces are calling for increased operations from Nigerian and Nigerien troops to prevent Boko Haram from regrouping and launching new attacks in the region.
