Member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC, comprising Nigeria Cameroon, Chad and Niger have agreed to headquartered the Multi-National Joint Task Force to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in Baga Borno state, it emerged on Monday.
Rising from the security meeting of the LCBC in Abuja, the Foreign Affairs Ministers and Security Chiefs of Member countries agreed that the contingents should be in place by November 20, 2014.
Also, the meeting adopted the draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the African Union (AU) on terrorism.
UN resolution 1556 (2004) considers terrorism as the greatest threat to international peace and security and therefore agreed on the need to put in place an appropriate legal framework for military operations against Boko Haram insurgents in the Sub-region.
It is expected that the multi-national task force would effectively come into existence after the the Heads of state and government of the LCBC member states and Benin Republic must have ratified the adopted resolution.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Aminu Wali, while briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting which was attended by Benin Republic, noted that member countries and Benin Republic are expected to commence the deployment of contingents within their national borders by November 1st 2014.
Wali also announced that the adopted draft resolution would be forwarded to the Heads of state and government of the LCBC member satyrs and Benin Republic.
According to him, the meeting “requested the Republic of Niger to introduce the draft resolution to the peace and Security Council of the AU while republic of Chad and Nigeria should introduce the resolution to the UNSC.
He said the meeting has urged member states permanent Representatives in New York and their ambassadors in Addis Ababa to hold consultations with view to ensuring the adoption of the resolution by the UNSC and AU respectively.
Speaking, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Sanusi Abdullahi said Multinational Joint Task Force is to “give us a tool for the fight against all forms of terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and in the member countries or at least in the member countries that have signed this declaration at the extra ordinary summit.”
Abdullahi who responded to the concerns on location of the Military base told journalists that the minister of defence of Nigeria was expected to explain to his colleagues ministers of defence of the member countries as to how secure that place is.
He also revealed that Niger, Chad have already deployed their battalions at locations within their countries.
Abdullahi further revealed that Nigerian troops are already there in Baga more than even a Battalion while Cameroon was preparing to deploy their contingent of a battalion within their border in the Lake Chad Basin until the legal arrangements are finalised for the operation of the force together to work across borders.
