African leaders meeting in Paris have agreed to wage "war" on Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic militants.
French President Hollande, who hosted the summit, said regional powers had pledged to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group.
Last month it abducted 223 schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria, where it is based. Fresh attacks were reported in Nigeria and Cameroon overnight.
Thousands of people have been killed by Boko Haram in recent years.
The Paris summit brought together Mr Hollande, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, and their counterparts from Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
As it opened, Mr Hollande called Boko Haram a "major threat to West and Central Africa", and said it had links with al-Qaeda's North-African arm and "other terrorist organisations".
After the meeting, he said participants had agreed on a "global and regional action plan".
This included sharing intelligence, monitoring borders and co-ordinating action, including possible operations involving French troops in the region, Mr Hollande said.
President Idriss Deby of Chad said regional powers would "tackle this situation head on" and wage "total war on Boko Haram". Of course, upping the rhetoric, and eventually the action, increases the danger to the girls, and invites more fanatical Muslims to go to Nigeria to fight the infidel. Though I have little doubt that Boko Haram will lose in the end, I dread the bloodshed in the interim. Please pray for the safety of those girls.
Representatives from the UK, US and EU also took part in the meeting.
Mr Jonathan was due on Friday to visit the town where the girls were seized. However the trip was cancelled for security reasons. One wonders whether he feared Boko Haram or the residents of Chibok who are angry that the government has done nothing to rescue the girls.
Boko Haram released a video earlier this week showing more than 130 of the girls and offering an exchange for prisoners.
The girls, who include Christians and Muslims, were seized on 14 April from their school hostel in the north-east Nigerian town of Chibok in Borno state. Actually, they were all reciting the Koran, indicating that the Christians had converted to Islam, or at least pretended to. Only half the girls were seen on the video. It is likely that the other half either would not convert or were separated for some other reason.
President Jonathan has ruled out negotiations over their possible release, officials say.
As Saturday's summit began, news of fresh violence emerged.
In the far north of Cameroon, near the Nigerian border, attackers targeted a camp run by a Chinese engineering company. Ten Chinese workers are missing and one person was injured.
There are reports that one person was killed.
In Nigeria itself, 11 people were reported killed in a separate attack in village a few hours' drive from the Cameroonian border.
A relative of one of the victims said a woman and a child were among the dead.
French President Hollande, who hosted the summit, said regional powers had pledged to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group.
Last month it abducted 223 schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria, where it is based. Fresh attacks were reported in Nigeria and Cameroon overnight.
Thousands of people have been killed by Boko Haram in recent years.
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| Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Francois Hollande warned of Boko Haram's links to other terror organisations |
As it opened, Mr Hollande called Boko Haram a "major threat to West and Central Africa", and said it had links with al-Qaeda's North-African arm and "other terrorist organisations".
After the meeting, he said participants had agreed on a "global and regional action plan".
This included sharing intelligence, monitoring borders and co-ordinating action, including possible operations involving French troops in the region, Mr Hollande said.
President Idriss Deby of Chad said regional powers would "tackle this situation head on" and wage "total war on Boko Haram". Of course, upping the rhetoric, and eventually the action, increases the danger to the girls, and invites more fanatical Muslims to go to Nigeria to fight the infidel. Though I have little doubt that Boko Haram will lose in the end, I dread the bloodshed in the interim. Please pray for the safety of those girls.
Representatives from the UK, US and EU also took part in the meeting.
Mr Jonathan was due on Friday to visit the town where the girls were seized. However the trip was cancelled for security reasons. One wonders whether he feared Boko Haram or the residents of Chibok who are angry that the government has done nothing to rescue the girls.
Boko Haram released a video earlier this week showing more than 130 of the girls and offering an exchange for prisoners.
 |
| A video emerged on Monday showing about 130 of the girls wearing hijabs and reciting Koranic verses |
President Jonathan has ruled out negotiations over their possible release, officials say.
As Saturday's summit began, news of fresh violence emerged.
In the far north of Cameroon, near the Nigerian border, attackers targeted a camp run by a Chinese engineering company. Ten Chinese workers are missing and one person was injured.
There are reports that one person was killed.
In Nigeria itself, 11 people were reported killed in a separate attack in village a few hours' drive from the Cameroonian border.
A relative of one of the victims said a woman and a child were among the dead.
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