Nigerian army captures key Boko Haram camp
The enclave was the last stronghold for the militant group
Nigeria's army has captured a key Boko Haram camp, the Islamist militant group's last enclave in the vast northeastern Sambisa forest that was its stronghold, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday.
Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than two million during its seven-year insurgency to create an Islamic state governed by a strict interpretation of Sharia law in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation.
The jihadist group controlled an area in the northeast around the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has been pushed out of most of that territory over the last year by Nigeria's army and troops from neighbouring countries, moving to a base in the Sambisa forest, a former colonial game reserve.
"I was told by the Chief of Army Staff that the camp fell at about 1:35 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23, and that the terrorists are on the run, and no longer have a place to hide," Buhari said in an emailed statement.
Reuters was unable to independently verify whether the base in Nigeria's Borno state, known as Camp Zero, had been taken by the army.
Fleeing to surrounding areas
Buhari said the capture of Camp Zero marked the "final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa forest."
Army spokesman Sani Usman said the military was "happy and proud of the accomplished task" without giving further details.
Nigeria's military has been conducting a large-scale offensive in the forest during the past few weeks.
The Sambisa forest was where Boko Haram was believed to be holding some of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014 from a school in the town of Chibok — a mass abduction that brought the Islamic extremists world attention and sparked an international social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls.
Officials said in recent days that insurgents were fleeing into surrounding areas, warning residents to be vigilant.
But despite having been pushed back to the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram still stages suicide bombings in northeastern areas and in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.
Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused risk management company Signal Risk, said it was unlikely that the entire insurgency was being co-ordinated from the Sambisa.
"Boko Haram may have both logistical and operational bases both within and outside of Nigeria's borders," he said.
Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group last year, but signs of a rift emerged in August after ISIS announced a new leader, Abu Musab al-Barnawi.
Boko Haram's hitherto leader, Abubakar Shekau, later appeared to contradict the appointment in a video message. Analysts say Shekau's faction is based in the Sambisa while al-Barnawi's group operates in the Lake Chad area.
With files from The Associated Press