Actualités of Monday, 16 February 2015

Source: Cameroon Tribune

Goodluck Jonathan calls for help

Nigerian president has just asked for the support of the United States to deal with Boko Haram. Last weekend, the city of Gombe in northeastern Nigeria fell into the hands of the Islamists, Boko Haram.

By thousands, the jihadists landed in this town massacring, abducting people and looting shops and homes in their path.

This new incursion comes in a context marked by the publication by the National Commission on the human rights from results of a survey on the policy-related incidents.

Over a period of 50 days, about 60 people have lost their lives. This climate of insecurity has had the gift of glazing the electoral process, forcing authorities to postpone the planned general elections February 14 to March 28.

Faced with this worrying situation, Goodluck Jonathan has asked for American aid. No frills, Nigerian president extended a hand to the United States before the rise of the Islamists who are gaining grounds.

Far from being a simple fact of chance, Goodluck Jonathan, in the race for a second term, chose in its communication strategy, the Wall Street Journal, a U.S. newspaper. "If Nigeria has a problem, well I expect that they come to help us. They are not fighting the Islamic State group? Why are they not in Nigeria?", he said.

This call from Goodluck Jonathan sounds like a u-turn because late 2014, Abuja had decided, against Washington to deliver weapons, to suspend American aid and was previously limited to the training of soldiers. The United States had then conditioned their assistance to prior investigation on the violations of human rights.