Nearly 50 Boko Haram fighters surrender in Chad

At least 46 Boko Haram combatants have surrendered to authorities in Chad, a central African country

On August 26, 2023, Major General Djouma Youssouf Mahamat Itno, the commander of the Second Joint Multinational Task Force battling the terrorist group, received the repentant members of the Nigerian-based terror group Boko Haram, which included men, women, and children.

They were presented in a public ceremony in Bagasola, Chad, in the presence of state and diplomatic officials.

A joint task force made up of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin, and Niger, with the support of Western countries, has been fighting against Boko Haram for more than a decade.

The ex-combatants expressed regret for ever joining the Islamist group — which has claimed thousands of lives and destroyed properties.

While receiving the former fighters, Major General Djouma Yousouf Mahamat Itno, Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, congratulated them for choosing peace and urged others to follow suit.

“I strongly urge other brothers and sisters involved in this sect to follow the example of their 46 compatriots and accept lasting peace,” said Major General Itno

He implored community leaders “to play their role in raising awareness. Together, we can eradicate extremist ideologies and work for lasting peace and stability.”

In recent years, the Boko Haram sect has orchestrated a series of deadly attacks in Cameroon’s Far North region, Nigeria’s Borno State, and parts of Chad.

In 2019, Amnesty International reported that over 275 people had been killed and others mutilated or kidnapped during a resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in the Far North of Cameroon between January and November 2019.

Their most recent attack in Cameroon left eight traders dead in Kofia and Darak.