MNJTF: Securing the Lake Chad Basin, Bringing Hope
By Lawrence Audu
As Islamist groups grew and expanded their operations during the 2000s and early 2010s in the Sahel, and the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, security forces across the region were increasingly directly challenged by these groups. This prompted countries along the Lake Chad Basin, including Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, in addition to Benin (although not directly bordered by Lake Chad, but feel the need to render assistance, since its neighbours are directly involved, joined the party), to coordinate against Boko Haram militants through The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
Although their commitment to the force over the years has been inconsistent, funding problems and a lack of synergy and intelligence-sharing hindered its effectiveness, leading to Jihadists often regrouping when troops withdraw. Groups like Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’await Wal-Jihad (JAS), otherwise known as Boko Haram, and Ansaru were the most active and well known, until April 2015, when the MNJTF’s mandate was expanded to encompass counter-terrorism operations.
Recall that in January 2015 while the insurgency raged on, the MNJTF headquarters in Baga, Borno State, Nigeria, was overrun by militants of Boko Haram, who then proceeded to massacre local residents and destroy the town, displacing many citizens. At the time, only Nigerian soldiers were present in the Headquarters. There were reports that they fled the attackers. It was an ignominious moment for the MNJTF, and indeed the contributing nations.
Under President Muhammadu Buhari, the political process of expanding the MNJTF was given new strength and energy, which led to swifter progress, including the expansion of troop numbers and mandate, and the relocation of the Headquarters to N’Djamena, Chad.
The MNJTF, after being authorized by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union in early 2015, and later recognized by the United Nations UN, has become a full-fledged force, carrying out its mandates with attendant successes, leading to the neutralisation of scores and the surrendering of over 7000 insurgent elements and their families. The use of non-kinetic, as well as psychological operations, via strategic communication by a host of partners have cumulated into these surrenders.
The successes of the MNJTF is largely due to the pro-activity of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, whose strategies involves synergy with other security agencies and strengthening bilateral military ties, in addition to resolving to see the end of insurgency not just within Nigeria, but entire West Africa and the Sahel. This strategy has proven to be as potent as seen by the dwindling rate of insurgency in Nigeria today. His directive is to clear remnants of hibernating ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters from the fringes of Lake Chad.
In a recent interview, the Force Commander, Major General Abdul Khalifa Ibrahim, who is a real combatant and a military strategist, said the combination of greater synergy, cooperation, training and the injection of renewed enthusiasm is responsible for the successes in recent times. “All the Sectors have been effectively repelling attacks on their locations. We are able to track the movement of the terrorists better, even across borders, and in December 2021, MNJTF carried out a big operation jointly by Nigerian and Nigerien Sectors of the MNJTF.”
“It was code-named Op SHARAN FAGE. It enabled us to go deep to the shores of Lake Chad. Areas such as Asaga, Metele, Kangarwa among other places were cleared. Nobody lives in those areas and they are not occupied by the criminals,” he added.
For Dr Abubakar Mohammed Sani of BRAVE-IT, there is a greater need for the MNJTF system to be expanded to include more sub-Saharan nations, as well as Mali and Burkina Faso, and so on. This is because it will be very difficult for the MNJTF countries to crush the insurgency and other related issues if the terrorists still have easy access to logistics and manpower from Mali and Libya.
“So the MNJTF should be expanded so that Africa will see this security challenge as a collective issue of concern. Recently, we have seen insurgents attacking countries as far as Mozambique. But expanding the members alone won’t be enough. More resources will be needed,” says Dr Sani.
The early scepticism in the International Community that the Force can deliver results are now being neutralised by the many accolades the MNJTF is getting from credible institutions like the government of the United Kingdom, the African Union, the United Nations, AFRICOM and a host of others, many of whom have strengthened military ties with Force in other to boost the fight against insurgency. Certainly, the MNJTF deserves credit for boosting cooperation among the countries surrounding Lake Chad, which effectively stopped the advance of Boko Haram in 2015-2016, made it split into several factions and, in the period from 2017 to 2019, was able to free civilians in areas controlled by the terrorist group and ensured the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Political crises emanating from some parts of West Africa, leading to military interventions in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, definitely will pose a great challenge to MNJTF even as it has been able to liberate all territories within its areas of operations, leading to the return of thousands to their communities. There is, therefore, a greater need for reinforcement, more so that French and other allied forces have pulled out of Mali, creating a vacuum that may overwhelm the country, thus providing a safe haven for Islamists to spread their campaigns to neighbouring countries around the Sahel.
To achieve success in going forward, there must be a renewed commitment from Troop Contributing Countries to swell the ranks of the Force with additional deployment, while development partners like the European Union, the United Nations and others must in all sincerity step up funding and logistics for its operations. Lake Chad was once one of Africa’s largest freshwater bodies and a source of livelihood for about 30 million people, receding at over 90% of its original size since the 1960s, according to the UN. Concerned countries must see the need to do whatever it would take not just to end insurgency in the region, but to also save the lake and bring human activity back to full capacity.
Lawrence Audu is a Journalist and Researcher on Conflict and Security Strategies.
