Tag: pay off

It is early days yet to begin to count the gains of Nigeria’s decision to send troops and military equipment to Mali to help secure that country’s territorial integrity being breached by al Qeada inspired Tuareg rebels in the north. But it is very glaring from the unexpected offer of ceasefire by a faction of the terror group that has been troubling Nigeria for some time now, that at last, President Goodluck Jonathan has done one thing right.

With French fighter jets raining bombs on rebel targets in northern Mali and ground troops pursuing them deep into the desert, the terrorists collaborators in Nigeria under the aegis of Boko Haram suddenly announced last week they were ready for peace in their three-year long or so campaign of terror in most part of northern Nigeria.

Why now you may want to ask especially after series of failed attempts by the Federal government to dialogue with the murderous group? Simple. With Al Qeada in the Maghreb on its way out of northern Mali, Boko Haram’s base for ideological, military, as well as financial support is on the verge of destruction and the most sensible thing for the Nigerian terror group to do is to seek peace at home or be wiped out like their brothers in northern Mali.

So make no mistake about it, these guys are waving the olive branch now not because they are tired of killing more innocent souls or genuinely repentant but to save their necks from a brutal end that awaits them in the hands of Nigerian forces now that their main backers are on the run in northern Mali.

It is no secret that Mali, Senegal and some other countries in that region have been a source of instability to the area now called northern Nigeria way back in history. Those conversant with the history of West Africa and its great empires of Mali, Songhai and Ghana that preceded the partitioning of Africa by European powers in the 19th century would attest to the fact that the northern belt of West Africa, the Sahara region, was so fluid that it kept on changing hands depending on which empire was rising and which one was falling.

The Fulani from Senegal/Mali moved across the desert to destabilize the Hausa states in today’s northern Nigeria in the run up to the arrival of the British colonialists. The Trans Saharan trade of old had constantly linked the Sahara region of West Africa with the Arabs/Berbers of North Africa who largely influenced, for good or for bad, events in northern Nigeria.

Just as an average Yoruba man could move across the border to Benin Republic, Togo and even Ghana as if he was going to the next village, so is the case with movement across the border from northern Nigeria to the other parts of the Sahara region irrespective of the artificial borders created by the Europeans.

So spurred on by whatever was the reason for their taking up arms against the Nigerian state, Boko Haram operatives or recruits strolled across the border into Niger and Mali for training in terrorist activities and on graduation returned to Nigeria to cause havoc. It is that simple, yes. You only need to go to any of our land borders either in the east, west, north or south and witness what I am talking about. Because most of those living in the border communities most certainly have cousins, nephews and whatever relation across the border, it is often very difficult to regulate movement in those areas, so it is not a surprise that that Boko Haram could send people to northern Mali for terrorist training and they returned home even with arms undetected. So if we can’t get them here, doesn’t it make sense for us to go after them where they receive their training and indoctrination? I think that explains Jonathan’s decision to send our boys to Mali. And I think he got it right.

And with Mali too hot for Boko Haram’s minders what do we do with their offer of ceasefire back home here, even if it came from a splinter group? Two things, Nigeria can chose to ignore the offer and go after them militarily as it has been doing for some time now albeit with limited success, or embrace the splinter group and use it to get to the other factions either to negotiate or fight them.

While it is easier to say go after them forcefully now that the group appears to be weak it might not work out well at the end of the day especially if the group decides to damn the consequence and go for broke. I think the offer, minus the conditions attached is a window of opportunity to end this insurgence once and for all and save the nation, especially the north, from further unnecessary bloodshed.

With France leading the successful assault against terror in Mali, the rank of the Tuareg rebels aligned with al Qeada in the north seem to have been broken with some factions distancing themselves from the main al Qeada in the Maghreb and have offered to fight alongside France and the Nigerian led West African liberation troops to drive out the main terror group. And France has not said no, in fact, these repentant factions have joined the war against al Qeada. So, why can’t we do the same?

But in welcoming this ceasefire there is need for caution. There should be no lowering of guard and there should be no pre-conditions. If the Boko Haram faction genuinely and sincerely believes in ending their murderous ways and embrace peace it should not give any condition. It should rather engage in negotiation with the Federal Government and collaborate with the authorities to either bring the other factions on board or assist in defeating them militarily. Anything otherwise would indicate lack of sincerity in their ceasefire offer. And if the faction eventually agree to negotiate without condition, the Federal Government should also be flexible in their dealings with them and be ready to bend over backwards to accommodate them in a broader peace plan for the north. We’ve had too much bloodshed in this country that anything that could help stop it should be welcomed but not at the expense of the country.