Boko Haram A Threat, AU Chief Warns

The AU Chief now says that cross border raids into Cameroon have clearly shown the danger the Boko Haram pose.

In an address to African foreign ministers at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ms Dlamini-Zuma noted that the recent attacks by Boko Haram were deeply horrifying.

‘AU heads of states have agreed to include the conflict on the agenda of their summit, due to begin on Friday,’ she added

Nigeria has since rejected AU or UN intervention saying regional armies are capable of dealing with the threat.

Correspondents however note that Boko Haram and Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabaab will now dominate the summit which was supposed to focus on women's empowerment and development.

Its troops repelled a new attack by Boko Haram on the key north-eastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday night.

Boko Haram launched a full-scale insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria in 2009 to create an Islamic state.

Boko Haram seized the north-eastern Nigerian town of Monguno on Sunday, raising further doubts about whether elections could be held across the country on 14 February.

By Musalia Wycliffe.

Source: BBC News