crisisgroup:Nigeria’s faltering response emboldens Boko Haram | Nnamdi Obasi (Crisis Group’s Senior
crisisgroup:Nigeria’s faltering response emboldens Boko Haram | Nnamdi Obasi (Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Nigeria)On Jan. 25 the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram launched a major offensive on Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, and two other towns. The attack, which left more than 200 combatants dead, was repulsed by the Nigerian military, but it shook the security of the government and people of Borno.“This is the most serious attack yet,” Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno, told reporters. “We faced a really existential threat.”The attack on Maiduguri, the second since December 2013, underscores the grave challenge that Boko Haram poses to Nigeria and the country’s weak and slow response to this threat. The Nigerian government needs to review its faltering counterstrategy and strengthen the political, military and diplomatic elements crucial to reversing this dangerous tide.FULL COMMENTARY (via Al Jazeera America)Photo: Jordi Bernabeu Farrús/flickr -- source link