US, France, others storm Abuja for Boko Haram summit today
A security summit on ending the Boko Haram menace is coming up today in Abuja amidst increasing signs of closer military cooperation between regional powers and international support.
According to The Nation, Expected at the event are French President Francois Hollande, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Britain’s top diplomat Philip Hammond, among the senior foreign dignitaries.
The US will be represented by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, along with the State Department’s Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell.
The U.S. diplomats will huddle with their African counterparts in hopes of escalating the fight against Boko Haram, just as analysts say signs of real progress are finally emerging in the fight against the brutal jihadi terror group.
They are likely to push for an expansion of informal education centres for children of families displaced by Boko Haram, some 300 of which the State Department says have already been established.
But behind the scenes, the Obama administration is also expected to seek greater influence over the direction of the multinational African military campaign against Boko Haram.
Presidents Idriss Deby (Chad), Patrice Talon (Benin Republic),Paul Biya (Cameroun) and Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger Republic) are also invited, along with delegations from the European Union and the West African and Central African blocs.
Nigeria said this week “the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations” and “the speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises” would dominate the talks.
Boko Haram was named in the latest Global Terrorism Index as “the most deadly terrorist group in the world” in 2014. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed since 2009.
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