Nigeria’s Military Denies Boko Haram Ceasefire

Nigeria’s military denied on November 5 that it had agreed to a ceasefire with Boko Haram, saying operations against the group and other armed groups would continue. The denial came amid reports of a possible truce involving a Boko Haram faction led by Ibrahim Bakura Doro, but whether any agreement was reached remains unresolved. At a joint security briefing in Abuja, Defence Headquarters spokesman Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said, “there is nothing like a ceasefire.” He pointed to the military’s reported operations, arrests and rescues as evidence that troops were continuing to apply pressure. Uba also said military activity targets the Islamic State West Africa Province, kidnappers and other criminal groups, not only Boko Haram. The reported truce was described as having begun in June and involving Doro’s faction, rather than Boko Haram as a whole. Accounts cited three people said to have contacts among senior Boko Haram members. They said the arrangement was connected to efforts to secure the release of civilians abducted in March from Ngoshe, in Borno State, and that attacks in the area had stopped. The account said the truce did not include ISWAP, a rival group. A separate...