Nigeria’s military announced Friday that it had signed a truce with the terrorist organization Boko Haram, which included the release of more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.
But on Monday, what optimism existed for a potential end to a six-month ordeal was quickly extinguished, as reports surfaced that Boko Haram had continued it’s war against northeast Nigeria.
David Cook, an associate professor of religion at Rice University, wrote for CNN that the military’s initial announcement on Friday may have been an “election ploy” for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan:
“[I]t is evident that the Nigerian government is under considerable pressure to produce results demonstrating that Boko Haram is under control. Boko Haram’s kidnapping of more than 200 girls from Chibok in April stands out as a failure of the Nigerian army and its inability to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Therefore, the suggestion on the part of the government that the expected truce might lead to the release of these captives should be seen in light of the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for February 2015. One can expect that Jonathan will tout this as a success prior to his expected (but as yet unannounced) campaign for re-election.”
It appears Cook was right, as just hours after his column posted, Boko Haram militants raided two villages in northeast Nigeria, raised their flag in a third and slaughtered people in all three.
Boko Haram has yet to publicly announce the agreement it supposedly signed with the Nigerian military, furthering adding to the idea that no agreement was actually reached.
Hassan Tukur, an aide to President Jonathan who said Boko Haram had initially announced the ceasefire, defended his claim from Friday.
“Since [Boko Haram] delivered on its promise to Cameroon, we expect Boko Haram to deliver on the release of the Chibok girls and the cessation of hostilities in north-eastern Nigeria,” Tukur said, referring to the militants’ release of 27 Cameroonian and Chinese nationals on Oct. 11.
The Nigerian military said it would continue negotiations despite the recent attacks.
