Nigeria’s military denied on Nov. 5 that it was observing a ceasefire with Boko Haram and pledged continued operations, while The New Humanitarian reported an alleged faction-level truce.
At a security briefing in Abuja, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said there was “nothing like a ceasefire.” He said the armed forces would keep up operations, Reuters reported.
In a Sept. 7 investigation, The New Humanitarian cited three people who said they had links to Boko Haram; some described connections to senior members. They said a truce had begun in June and expected it to be extended by 40 days. Two said attacks had stopped in the Ngoshe area.
The New Humanitarian said the alleged arrangement involved a faction led by Ibrahim Bakura Doro and was connected to negotiations over civilians abducted from Ngoshe in March. It said Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival group, was not part of the reported deal.
Reports on the captives’ release give different figures. An Operation Hadin Kai statement reported by Channels Television said troops rescued 360 abductees in June. A Federal Ministry of Information report quoted Borno Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum as saying 357 people were in the latest release and 434 had been freed overall.
The New Humanitarian also reported an alleged 5 billion naira ($3.7 million) ransom payment. Borno State’s information commissioner denied that ransom was paid and said the military operation had support from the Department of State Services.
HumAngle reported a video in which a man identified as Mallam Abdulrahman rejected the reconciliation claim. The outlet also cited sources who thought a small team might have agreed to a truce without approval from the group’s leadership.
Reuters reported a recent rise in attacks on military positions by Boko Haram and ISWAP in northeastern Nigeria.
