Military chiefs from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and Benin have finalized details of the deployment of their joint force to fight Boko Haram.
They agreed to set up three command posts in Nigeria and Cameroon, military sources said yesterday.
At a two-day meeting in N’Djamena, which concluded late on Friday, military commanders from the five countries resolved to accelerate the deployment of the 8,700-strong force, which will have its overall command centre in the Chadian capital.
A disjointed campaign by Nigeria, Chad and Niger swept Boko Haram out of the towns Borno State earlier this year but the terror sect has killed hundreds of people in the last three months in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Regional governments have since dragged their heels in establishing the integrated taskforce, supposed to start operations on July 31.
“We have finalised the details of the deployment of troops,” said one officer who took part in the meeting. “The force commanders will inspect the sites of the barracks in the coming days.”
The military sources said the two command posts for the joint force in Nigeria would be in Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad, and in Gamboru, on the border with Cameroon.
The third command post would be established further south in the Cameroonian town of Mora, on the other side of the border from the Nigerian settlement of Gwoza, where Boko Haram formerly had its headquarters.
The chiefs of staff also ordered officers seconded to the headquarters of the force in N’Djamena to report immediately to their posts, as it was almost ready to become operational.
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