AU may mandate regional force against Boko Haram

The AU is to set up a regional military force to combat Islamist Boko Haram militants.

Reports say Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin agreed in Niger's capital Niamey this month that the AU will seek UN support for the operation to take on Boko Haram, which is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

The Islamists have made incursions into neighbouring Cameroon and have also threatened the stability of Niger and Chad.

The Commissioner of the AU's Peace and Security Council, Smail Chergui, said tackling Boko Haram is on the agenda for talks in Addis Ababa, where African leaders are holding a summit.

A UN mandate could help draw in international assistance for the African regional force.

Benin would contribute a battalion of 500 soldiers and about 700 from each of the other four.

Each contingent would however be based within its national borders with operations coordinated from Chad's capital N'Djamena.

NEWS 24