The Force Commander, FC, Multinational Joint Taskforce, Major General Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim says the fight against terrorism requires a global approach.
He emphasised the need for various stakeholders to collaborate so as to isolate and clear terrorists from the Lake Chad Basin area.
Major General Ibrahim stated this while
declaring the Joint Integrated Operations Planning Course opened in N’Djamena, Chad which was contained in a statement issued by the Chief of Military Public Information, HQ MNJTF, N’DJAMENA CHAD, Colonel Mohammed Dole, where he emphasised the need to restore security and stability in the region.
The course which took place between 27 September to 1st October 2021 where he emphasized that the the fight against the Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents should not be left to the military alone.
He said the actions of the military alone cannot solve the problem, hence the need for a multi-dimensional approach to tackle it.
Speaking at the event, the FC said, “It has been established that the fight against terrorism in general requires a global approach, integrating various skills held by both civilians and the military.”
Planning and leadership capacities
Major General Ibrahim noted that the course was designed to reinforce the MNJTF planning and leadership capacities towards the achievement of the desired security.
Highlighting the uniqueness of the training, which combines civilian and military representatives from six African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Senegal) and the United Kingdom, the FC opined that, the outcome of the course would improve participants’ knowledge through better understanding of the crisis management process.
He equally expressed gratitude to the coordinating partner, Operation TURUS and appreciated the efforts made by the partnership system set up by the British Armed Forces to provide multi forum support to the countries of West and Central Africa.
Major General Ibrahim urged participants to make concerted effort to gain maximum benefit from the training, he also stressed the need for discipline, interest and commitment as essential elements for knowledge acquisition.
Senior Military Leadership
In another development, the Senior Military Leadership (SML) of MNJTF comprising the Force Commander Major General Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim (Nigeria), Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Abdou Harouna Assoumane (Niger) and Chief of Staff Colonel Nana Paulin Njomo (Cameroon) attended an orientation training workshop at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa between 20 – 22 September 2021.
Activities during the 2-day event included briefings on AU Crisis Response Mechanism, African Peace and Security Architecture, role of African Standby Force (ASF), AU financial support to MNJTF and status of ongoing implementation of the AU additional support to MNJTF among others.
The main purpose of the orientation course was to introduce the SML of MNJTF to the AU system and values, and to improve the synergy between the AU and the MNJTF.
During the briefings, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Commission, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye commended the efforts of MNJTF leadership and urged them to further improve the stability of the Lake Chad Basin Region.
He described the MNJTF as a unique attempt at tackling the security challenges in its operational planning environment, which must not be allowed to fail. The FC used the opportunity to visit and interact with the Nigerian mission in Addis Ababa. The event was hitch-free.
Courtesy Visit
Also in a separate event, the Force Commander received the Defence Adviser of the Republic of France to Chad, Col Greigore Madelen in his office on Wednesday 29 September, 2021 at the MNJTF HQ in N’Djamena Chad.
Deliberations were on areas of mutual cooperation in helping to stabilize the LCBC.
Also, the Commander of the Chadian Special Forces Bde, Major General Abdulrahman Yusuf Mery paid a courtesy visit to the FC in the Headquarters MNJTF. Issues of training, joint operations and intelligence sharing were discussed.
Lateefah Ibrahim
