Surrender or Get Killed, Chadian President Tells Shekau

President Idriss Deby of Chad, on Wednesday,
revealed that he knows the hideout of Abubakar
Shekau, the Boko Haram leader, and vowed that
the leader of the insurgent group will be killed if
he fails to surrender.
“It is in Abubakar Shekau’s interest to surrender,
we know where he is. If he refuses to give
himself up, he will suffer the same fate as his
comrades,” Deby said at a press conference held
with his visiting Niger Republic counterpart.
The Chadian President vowed to “wipe out” Boko
Haram, which has so far been responsible for
more than 15,000 deaths.
Shekau has remained in hiding since his group
started out in 2009 targeting civilians, security
officials, villages, schools, markets and places of
worship. He however appears in propaganda
videos released by the sect.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly, but
incorrectly, claimed to have killed Shekau, who is
also wanted by the United States government.
According to the Chadian leader, Shekau fled
Dikwa after his troops chased out Boko Haram
fighters on February 17. He said two Chadian
soldiers and 117 Boko Haram Islamists were
killed in the fighting. “We are going to win the war
and we are going to wipe out Boko Haram,
contrary to what certain media think. The
Chadian and Niger forces will continue their
mission to finally put an end to this shadowy
group,” Deby said.
Lately, increased military operations by Nigeria,
Chad, Cameroun and Niger have apparently
pushed back Boko Haram with the Nigerian forces
recovering several towns previously held by the
group.
The Chadian Army also announced this week that
it retook the key town of Dikwa in Borno State.
Meanwhile, Deby had been accused in the past of
providing a safe haven for Boko Haram
insurgents, and was purportedly the mediator in
what turned out to be a phony ceasefire between
the Nigerian government and the sect in 2014.