Nigerian president sacks military chiefs
July 13, 2015
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari fired the heads of the army, air force and navy on Monday with immediate effect, amid sharp criticism of their handling of an uprising by Boko Haram separatists.
Their dismissals came a few hours after the latest suicide bombing, which was immediately blamed on the Islamist fighters. The chief of defense staff and the national security adviser were also fired.
The sackings come just a week after the government confirmed it was ready to talk to Boko Haram.
New mission
Their replacements were announced a few hours later. Among them is Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai from Borno state, the worst affected by the insurgency, who becomes the new army chief. The new appointments need to be confirmed by Nigeria's Senate.
The new military chiefs will be expected to work more closely with neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger in the fight against Boko Haram guerrillas. The four countries will deploy a regional force of close to 7,500 troops later this month.
Over the past six years, Boko Haram has captured swathes of territory - particularly in the Northeast - in an attempt to establish a hard-line Islamic state. The uprising has left at least 15,000 people dead and forced 1.5 million people to flee their homes.
In April last year, more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok. Despite repeated promises, they've never been found and freed.
Renewed violence
Boko Haram have intensified their attacks since Buhari took over from Goodluck Jonathan in May. Around 570 people have been killed recently, according to AFP news agency, amid fears the military's recent gains against the rebels have been eroded.
Earlier this year, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, which controls territory in Syria and Iraq and is extending its influence in North Africa and Yemen.
The latest suicide bombing happened on Monday at a military checkpoint near Maiduguri in Nigeria's northeast, killing at least one civilian and wounding three others, military sources said.
While no group has claimed responsibility, the attack bore the hallmarks of the Islamist militant group. Maiduguri is the birthplace of the terror sect.
Late Sunday, at least 13 people were killed in Cameroon when two bombs went off at Fotokol, a town on the border with Nigeria's Borno state.
On Saturday, two suicide bombers tried to attack a crowded bus station, but were foiled by heavy security. Shortly after, a man wearing a full-face veil killed 15 people at a busy market in Chad's capital N'Djamena, which lies on the border with northeastern Nigeria.
mm/jil (AP, AFP, dpa)