#News: Niger abandons Boko Haram battle

[BBC]

 Boko Haram at a glance    

• Founded in 2002
• Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Some three million people affected
• Declared terrorist group by US in 2013

Who are Boko Haram?

Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram

 He said the town, which had a population of about 10,000, was now "virtually non-existent".

"It has been burnt down," he told the BBC Hausa service.

Boko Haram launched a military campaign in 2009 to create an Islamic state.

It has taken control of many towns and villages in north-east Nigeria in the past year.

The conflict has displaced at least 1.5 million people, while more than 2,000 were killed last year.  

Nigerian lawmaker Maina Maaji Lawan said Boko Haram now controlled 70% of Borno state, which has been worst-affected by the insurgency.  

Drowned As well as Baga, Boko Haram has seized 16 neighbouring towns after the military retreated, Mr Bukar said.

While he raised fears that about 2,000 people may have been killed in the latest raids, other reports put the number of dead in the hundreds.  

Boko Haram's offensive continued on Thursday, with fighters setting up checkpoints and killing people hiding in the bush, Mr Lawan said.

President Jonathan is under pressure over the insurgency   About 10,000 people are reported to have fled to Chad since Saturday to escape the violence, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Some are said to have drowned as they tried to cross Lake Chad on the border.

Others fled to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, in buses provided by the government, the senator said.  

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno and two neighbouring states in 2013, vowing to defeat the militants.

However, Boko Haram has stepped up attacks since then and there are fears that many people in the north-east will not be able to vote in the general election because of the conflict.

   
Source: BBC