August 18, 2015
August 18, 2015
Simon Allison, Africa correspondent for the Daily Maverick, posed the questions “Abubakar Shekau: Is Boko Haram’s leader dead or alive? Does it matter?” to Yan St-Pierre in response to a new audio file which appeared after recent rumours of Shekau being “decapitated”.
“With the new Multinational Joint Task Force beginning its operations on July 30, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s three-month ultimatum to defeat Boko Haram, and Déby’s claim that Muhammad Daoud is now speaking for the organisation, a strong message was needed to galvanise the loyalty and will of all those linked to Boko Haram – old and new – for what could be a very difficult fight in the upcoming months. The organisation also need to send a message that would attempt to discredit its enemies and act as a show of strength. As such, the audio clip is very significant for internal and external propaganda,” said St-Pierre.
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