AFRICA Key Leader Killed in Joint Operation on Lake Chad Islands OE Watch Commentary: On 20 March, the Nigerien ministry of defense announced that it had killed a “figurehead” of Boko Haram, Ibrahim Fakoura, during an operation on the islands of Lake Chad. The accompanying passage from the popular French newspaper Le Monde discusses this development. Although reports are unconfirmed, it is being noted that Ibrahim Fakoura had a base on Lake Chad islands, which is why deployed forces from nearby to to Lake Chad to target him on a six-day mission. The article points out that Fakoura had been responsible for attacks against civilians in addition to conventional attacks on security forces. The article also discusses Nigeria’s military support to Niger in this campaign, suggesting that the two countries’ militaries are cooperating, in contrast to the past when a lack of regional military cooperation undermined the fight against Boko Haram. Nigeria and Niger, along with Chad and Cameroon, are also part of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), whose most effective operations occurred in 2015 Nigerien Army patrol in Diffa 2016. Source: Nicolas Pinault via Voice Of America, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nigerien_Army_patrol_in_Diffa_2016.jpg CC x 2.0 when it recaptured territories that Boko Haram had conquered in the previous year. The article notes that the operation, which was part of the operations of the MNJTF, was “designed and planned by elements of the Nigerien and Nigerian armies.” The article further notes that eliminating Ibrahim Fakoura was not the only recent counter-terrorism success against Boko Haram. Fifty Boko Haram fighters were also eliminated in another recent battle in Toumour, Niger. At the same time, the article clarifies that the security situation remains dire. It states that there are still 120,000 refugees from Nigeria in Diffa, Niger and that the crowdedness is so extensive that several dozen refugees were killed in a stampede while collecting food and stipends in February. Lastly, the article notes that the operation was supported by a strategic partner. While it doesn’t specify which country this is, the article notes that the United States and France have bases in Niger. End OE Watch Commentary (Zenn)

“Elements of the Nigerien armed forces deployed in carried out an operation on Nigerien islands of Lake Chad from March 10 to 16, which eliminated Ibrahim Fakoura, one of the factional leaders of Boko Haram.”

Source: “Le Niger annonce avoir tué Ibrahim Fakoura, ‘figure de proue’ de Boko Haram (Niger announces the killing of Ibrahim Fakoura, ‘figurehead’ of Boko Haram),” Le Monde, 20 March 2020. https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/03/20/le-niger-annonce-avoir-tue- ibrahim-fakoura-figure-de-proue-de-boko-haram_6033778_3212.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1584694243 The Nigerien ministry of defense announced it has killed a “figurehead” of the jihadist group Boko Haram, Ibrahim Fakoura, during an operation in the islands of Lake Chad. “Elements of the Nigerien armed forces deployed in the Diffa region carried out an operation on Nigerien islands of Lake Chad from March 10 to 16, which eliminated Ibrahim Fakoura, one of the factional leaders of Boko Haram, and several of his companions,” according to a statement from the ministry of defense read on public television. The operation, which “was part of the operations of the Multinational Joint Force” (Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon), was “designed and planned by elements of the Nigerien and Nigerian armies and supported by a strategic partner.” The United States and France have bases in Niger. authorities stated that they had “neutralized” 50 Boko Haram fighters after an Islamist attack on an army position in Toumour, also in the southeast. According to the UN, Diffa region is home to 120,000 Nigerian refugees and thousands of displaced people fleeing Boko Haram’s abuses. In mid-February, around 20 people died and several were injured in a stampede during the distribution of food and money to refugees and displaced persons in Diffa.

OE Watch | May 2020 79