Quote Originally Posted by davidbfpo View Post
The photo came via Twitter from a Nigerian-American and with this text:

IIRC this city, Maiduguri, was surrounded by Boko Haram and under intermittent attack.

While this is good news, rejecting BH is not enough, Nigeria must fight BH to the finish. It goes back to the strong do as they will, and the weak do as they must. Chad isn't overly impressed with the Nigerian military's fighting capability and will to fight. No doubt a lot of factors contribute to that, but the interesting point in the article below is we're back to the Cold War paradigm of partnering with anyone who will actually fight, versus partnering with partners of choice based on mutually aligned ideas and interest.

From the SWJ News Roundup

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/wo...ref=world&_r=0

Chad Strongman Says Nigeria Is Absent in Fight Against Boko Haram

“We want the Nigerians to come and occupy, so we can advance,” Mr. Déby complained in an interview at his palace last week. “We’re wasting time, for the benefit of Boko Haram,” he added. “We can’t go any further in Nigeria. We’re not an army of occupation.”
Diplomats and analysts acknowledge that the Nigerians have finally gotten into the fight, along with the help of South African mercenaries. But they still view Chad as an indispensable force. “I don’t see any way of successfully confronting the Boko Haram without Chadian assistance,” said the veteran diplomat.

That Western recognition for Mr. Déby and his army chafes, in turn, at the opposition and civil society in Chad, systematically locked out of power for years.