African countries plan to create regional force to fight Boko Haram

AFP

The African Union (AU) said on Friday that the Islamist group Boko Haram has become a threat to the security of the entire African continent and they “require a collective response.”

For this reason, the Council for Peace and Security of the AU called for the implementation of a regional force of 7,500 men to fight against the extremist group.

“Terrorism, particularly the Boko Haram brutality against our populations, poses a threat to our collective security and our development,” said Dlamini-Zuma, at the opening of the Summit of the pan-African organization in Addis Adeba.

“It has already spread beyond Nigeria and requires a collective, effective and decisive response,” he added.

Boko Haram has conquered vast territories in northeastern Nigeria, and has dabbled in Cameroon, unresting neighboring countries such as Chad and Niger.