In the aftermath of a military offensive around Lake Chad, which borders Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, 70 jihadists have been killed, according to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF). The MJTF is made up of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. The Chadian army was responsible for conducting air, sea and ground attacks in the area. On Sunday, the Chadian army reported that they had killed 70 terrorists who fled to their side following bombardments by the MJTF on the Nigerian shore of the lake.
The attacks resulted in the destruction of five camps and ammunition depots as well as eight vehicles rigged with explosives intended for suicide attacks. On the same day, there were several suicide bombings in Gwoza near the border with Cameroon that claimed the lives of 32 civilians. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu noted that these attacks were a clear indication of the pressure on terrorist groups and a success in weakening their offensive capacity.
In recent weeks, the Nigerian military has escalated airstrikes on terrorist camps around Lake Chad, leading to deadly attacks on fishermen. Initially established to combat cross-border crime, the multinational force’s focus has shifted to counter-terrorism operations due to rising jihadist groups in the region over the past 15 years. Boko Haram first emerged in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 with other Islamist terrorist groups arising in wider regions subsequently. Violence perpetrated by these groups has resulted in at least 40,000 deaths and displaced around two million people in Nigeria.
