Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby has threatened to withdraw from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Lake Chad, citing the force’s inability to successfully battle insurgent groups.
President Deby made the announcement while visiting the region following the deaths of 40 Chadian soldiers in a suspected Boko Haram terrorist strike in late October.
He expressed frustration with the lack of cooperation among the MNJTF member countries, which consists of troops from Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon.
Deby has initiated Operation Haskanite against Boko Haram locations, with air attacks and ground troops on high alert as Boko Haram fighters have chosen to hide.
The Lake Chad region has been a hotbed of insurgency, with attacks by Islamic State (IS or Daesh) militants in West Africa and Boko Haram, which originated in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 and spread eastward.
