Buhari, Deby reaffirm commitment to tackle Boko Haram

The Punch - Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chadian counterpart, President Idriss Deby, on Thursday in N’Djamena reaffirmed  the commitment of their countries to greater cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram. 
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of Buhari’s one-day official visit to Chad as made available to journalists by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
According to the communique, both leaders agreed on the need to quickly make the Multi-National Joint Task Force fully operational to effectively combat terrorism in North-East Nigeria and “everywhere” that Boko Haram operates.
Buhari and Deby called on the international community to provide the Lake Chad Basin Commission and neigbouring countries with all necessary support to combat terrorism and insurgency.
“Both Heads of State agreed that the war on Boko Haram should be supported by emergency development initiatives in areas affected by this insurgency group.
“This will help to overcome the harmful effects faced by local populations,” the communiqué said.
Buhari paid tribute to the gallantry of Chadian soldiers who have engaged in operations against Boko Haram and  condoled the families of their comrades who were killed in action.
While in the Chadian capital, President Buhari also held a closed-door meeting with Major-General Tukur Buratai of Nigeria, who was recently appointed Force Commander of the MNJTF, with headquarters in N’Djamena.