In Nigeria, nearly 130,000 members of the terrorist group “Boko Haram“ have laid down their arms in the past five months, said the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense, General Christopher Musa, at a military conference in Qatar on Thursday, DPA reported.
Musa told the “Africa Security Watch“ conference (Africa Security Watch) in Doha, that between July 10 and December 9, 30,426 “Boko Haram“ fighters, along with 36,774 women and 62,265 children, surrendered.
The large number of disarmed fighters is due to a combination of military operations, dialogue and rehabilitation measures, Musa said.
The military often reports that large numbers of “Boko Haram“ fighters and their families have surrendered. Many former members of the terrorist group say they laid down their arms because they are hungry and living in poor conditions.
The exact number of “Boko Haram“ members is not known. It is believed to be in the tens of thousands.
The group, founded in the West African country of Nigeria, is fighting to create an Islamic state. It has been carrying out attacks in neighboring Central African countries Chad and Cameroon for years. The jihadist insurgency, which has lasted for more than a decade, has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is currently on a two-day visit to Nigeria.
The military regime that rules Niger has announced that it is suspending British radio BBC for a period of three months because it "broadcasts “misinformation aimed at destabilizing social calm and undermining the morale of soldiers“ fighting against jihadists, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
This measure, taken by the Minister of Communication Sidi Mohamed Raliou, comes into effect “immediately“ and throughout the African country.
Since the junta came to power in a coup in July 2023, several Western media outlets have been suspended in Niger.
BBC programs, especially in the Hausa language (Hausa is one of the largest ethnic groups in Central Africa; its language is spoken mainly in southern Niger and northern Nigeria, ed. note), are broadcast in Niger through local partner radio stations and are particularly popular.
Since August 2023, Radio France Internationale (RFI) and “France 24” (France 24) have also been suspended in Niger. This happened just a few days after the coup that allowed General Abdurahmane Tiani's junta to take power in this Sahel country.
This evening, the regime also announced that it would “file a complaint“ against the RFI for “incitement to genocide and intercommunal massacres“ in Niger.
For almost a decade, Niger has been experiencing jihadist attacks, which have not subsided in several regions.
According to the organization “Acled“ (Acled), which monitors the number of victims of conflicts around the world, at least 1,500 civilians and soldiers have died in attacks by armed groups in Niger in the last year, with 650 since mid-2022 and in 2023.