Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has said the tide has “definitely turned” against militant Islamists as regional forces recapture territory.
His comments came hours after Boko Haram militants were blamed for killing 27 people in bombings in two commercial centres in the north on Tuesday.
Boko Haram had hit “soft targets” because of the setbacks it had suffered in battle, Mr Jonathan said.
Regional forces have recaptured eight major towns in recent weeks.
Good grief. Only a month or two ago Goodluck’s spokesmen announced that they had negotiated a truce with Boko Haram and that the Chibok girls would in consequence be returned. It turned out to be hogwash. There never had been a truce nor, possibly, any contacts with Boko Haram. The most likely outcome of this new presidential announcement is, IMHO, a fresh outbreak of horrors by Boko Haram to demonstrate that they are unfettered in their operations. I would be very, very glad to be proved wrong.