by Ranti Joseph

Boko Haram has staged another assault on Niger border town.

The extremist sect staged an overnight assault on a border town in Niger on the night of Saturday, February 7. The new assault is the second time the nation has come under attack by the extremists since Friday.

The attack on the town of Diffa began on Saturday night, and fighting between Boko Haram and Niger’s army lasted until 05:00 toward the town’s southern entrance before the extremists were forced to flee and calm was restored, Diffa resident, Adam Boukar said.

The fight against Nigeria’s Boko Haram has taken on an increasingly regional dimension in recent months, with the extremists staging attacks in both Cameroon and Niger last week alone.

Nearly 100 people were killed and some 500 wounded in an attack on the town of Fotokol in Cameroon on Wednesday and Thursday that saw Boko Haram fighters raze mosques and churches and use civilians as human shields, Cameroon officials said.

On Friday, Boko Haram reached into Niger, attacking Diffa and Bosso, another border town. Chad and Niger troops responded to the assault in Bosso, while Niger’s army pushed Boko Haram out of Diffa, inflicting heavy losses, Niger Defense Minister Mahamadou Karijo said.

On Saturday, a meeting by the regional and African Union officials in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, unveiled a proposal for a force of as many as 8,750 members to combat Boko Haram.

The manpower would come from Nigeria and its four neighbors. Chad and Nigeria would each contribute 3, 500 troops each, while Cameroon and Niger would contribute 750 each and Benin would contribute 250. Officials said they envisioned deploying the force as early as next month, though the effort could be delayed for lack of funds.

Kolapo Olapoju