President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, June 4, 2015 met Chad’s President Idriss Deby in the capital, N’Djamena, after a visit Wednesday to Niger, as part of a four-nation tour aimed at tackling the Islamist militant sect reports the Vanguard.
Mr. Buhari praised Chad for joining the fight against Boko Haram, adding that further cooperation was required in the future.
He, has made ending the insurgency a priority, after six years of shocking acts of violence by the group which have left at least 15,000 people dead.
“Your troops have stood shoulder to shoulder and fought gallantly with ours in the fight against the forces of evil,” he told Deby.
“This is a remarkable show of good neighbourliness, which we must reinforce in the years ahead.”
President Deby for his part “reaffirmed Chad’s involvement and availability” to work with Nigeria, according to a statement from his office.
Chad’s involvement in the coalition began earlier this year when Deby sent troops to assist neighbouring Cameroon, whose far northern region was increasingly coming under attack by the terrorrists.
Chadian troops later moved in to Nigerian territory and helped Nigerian forces retake several captured border towns .
On Wednesday it was announced that a Nigerian officer would head the new 8,700-strong unit, African Union-backed Multi-National Joint Task Force based in N’Djamena, Chad.
President Buhari said “sustained and robust” regional cooperation was essential because of the cross-border threat posed by Boko Haram.
He said the new fighting force “will be able to secure and stabilise all the areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency” and would help bring an end to the bloodshed,’.
Mr. Buhari, has in his former tenure as Military Head of State, ousted Chadian forces from disputed islands on Lake Chad, where the two countries share borders.
He also said both countries needed to work together on border issues, migration and movement of goods and services.
