African Union urges action against Boko Haram attacks/AFP
AFRICAN UNION, Jan 21- Defeating Nigeria’s “dastardly” Boko Haram insurgents requires support from across the continent, the African Union chief warned Wednesday, urging increased backing for Nigeria and affected neighbouring countries.
“Boko Haram is a threat not only to Nigeria and the region, but also to the continent as a whole,” Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.
“The situation calls for renewed collective African efforts,” she added, issuing a “strong condemnation of the cowardly and dastardly attacks carried out by Boko Haram”.
The comments followed a regional summit that opened in Niger on Tuesday to stop the militants, whose insurgency has left 13,000 dead and forced 1.5 million from their homes since 2009.
Regional leaders will meet again on the sidelines of the AU summit at the end of month “to urge for enhanced international support”, Dlamini-Zuma added.
Chad sent a convoy of troops and 400 military vehicles on Saturday into neighbouring Cameroon to fight Boko Haram.
Dlamini-Zuma said she welcomed Chad’s intervention and praised its “commitment to the promotion of peace, security and stability in the region.”
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