{Chad’s president, Idriss Deby Itno, has claimed that Abubakar Shekau is no longer the leader of the Boko Haram jihadist group.}
At a press conference on the occasion of the 55th anniversary on Tuesday of Chad’s independence, President Deby said the Nigerian extremist group has a new leader.
He did not say what had happened to Shekau, the declared leader of the group, but he said he had been replaced by a certain Mahamat Daoud who was ready to dialogue with the Nigerian government.
Speculation regarding Shekau’s ‘death’ is rife amongst countries involved in the war against the extremist group. This speculation is further heightened by the fact that the ‘former’ leader of the group has not appeared in Boko Haram’s videos of late.
“Boko Haram is decapitated. There are little groups (of Boko Haram members) scattered throughout east Nigeria, on the border with Cameroon. It is within our power to definitively overcome Boko Haram,” President Deby said.
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The Chadian leader even declared that the Boko Haram war will not last long after the setting up of the regional force headquartered in N’Djamena.
“It will be over by the end of the year,” he said.
Earlier in March, President Deby had called on Shekau to surrender or be killed.
He claimed Chadian forces knew his hideout, and that if he refused to surrender, “he will suffer the same fate as his comrades.”
President Deby was speaking together with his Niger counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou..
Agencies
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