The travails of the Naijja Army in BH Territory!

[skatebodi]

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Surely, a large Army, with an airforce a Navy and a Special Forces detachment cutting loose and running away from a rag tag army (i.e., ceding territory to BH) is very strange. One Commander is tired and has decided to write to the Commander in Chief. Question is, is this guy committing a crime within military practice or can he be considered to be within his rights? As he states, the GOCs do not visit the soldiers in the field (much less the CiC himself!). Is this a lost cause or simply a case of internal sabotage from some Commanding Officers?

http://saharareporters.com/2014/12/15/why-we-could-not-defeat-boko-haram-army-commander-writes-powerful-letter-president

Perplexious Sketie

[RV Pundit]

Indeed it is perplexing how a rag tag rebel can beat one of Africa's most resourced armed forces. Nigeria have intervened in many western africa conflict and yet seem incapable of crushing BH.

It probably down to corruption.

[vooke]

It is quite possible that BH are not 'ragtag'. They have released propaganda videos with armored trucks. Or Nigeria may be too vast, forested and impenetrable for the army

Indeed it is perplexing how a rag tag rebel can beat one of Africa's most resourced armed forces. Nigeria have intervened in many western africa conflict and yet seem incapable of crushing BH.

It probably down to corruption.

[RV Pundit]

But Nigeria has probably biggest army in Africa san Egypt and South Africa. Even our KDF would surely deal with BH. Either Nigeria army are once again preparing to take over gov like they've done for nearly 50yrs or something is a miss. Goodluck Jonathan is first real civilian pork. Nigeria army is everything. They are probably leaving BH to play around so they can retake GoN.

It is quite possible that BH are not 'ragtag'. They have released propaganda videos with armored trucks. Or Nigeria may be too vast, forested and impenetrable for the army

[skatebodi]

It is quite possible that BH are not 'ragtag'. They have released propaganda videos with armored trucks. Or Nigeria may be too vast, forested and impenetrable for the army

Indeed it is perplexing how a rag tag rebel can beat one of Africa's most resourced armed forces. Nigeria have intervened in many western africa conflict and yet seem incapable of crushing BH.

It probably down to corruption.

vooke,

BH does not have the normal legitimacy due to a government, it does not levy taxes as a government does, it is hated by the people whose daughters have been kidnapped. Corruption is the word. Rations, fuel etc are sold by the commanders and the troop numbers inflated so that excess salaries are used to build mansions in Kaduna etc. Soldiers are left exposed like sitting ducks with no force protection.
Sketie

[bryan275]

It is quite possible that BH are not 'ragtag'. They have released propaganda videos with armored trucks. Or Nigeria may be too vast, forested and impenetrable for the army

Indeed it is perplexing how a rag tag rebel can beat one of Africa's most resourced armed forces. Nigeria have intervened in many western africa conflict and yet seem incapable of crushing BH.

It probably down to corruption.

vooke,

BH does not have the normal legitimacy due to a government, it does not levy taxes as a government does, it is hated by the people whose daughters have been kidnapped. Corruption is the word. Rations, fuel etc are sold by the commanders and the troop numbers inflated so that excess salaries are used to build mansions in Kaduna etc. Soldiers are left exposed like sitting ducks with no force protection.
Sketie

SKeti,

Your observations are both likely and very scary.  The very same will soon happen to us in Kenya.  General Matumbo have feasted on all procurement money, stocked up the armoury with toys hoping war never breaks out.

[MOON Ki]

The one thing that African armies know how to do best is terrorizing unarmed civilians.   When it comes to actually fighting an armed and determined foe, the record is very spotty.

[Omollo]

It is the Nigerian Military vs The Nigerian Military. Nothing else. They are armed by the Military Intelligence. The idea was to overthrow Goodwill but it proved hard because any such attempt would bring up Biafra II. So the former Heads of State from the North, Retired Senior Military commanders and wealthy Northerners inherited Boko Haram. BH was itself formed by governors of the Northern States over a long period.

The intention was to use it as a bargaining chip to claw back power by compelling Jonathan to return to the earlier agreement of rotating the Presidency. BH along the way decided to change the agenda and has slaughtered quite a number of the initial sponsors. It has overthrown the masters and now dictates to governors and demands finances in exchange for their lives.

It is well financed through the Military and has forced governors to share corruption proceeds on a lopsided basis favouring the terrorist organization. If GJ is re-elected, prepare to see war as the North will never cede its control over Oil.

BTW It is the same game that Uhuru and Karangi are playing. Karangi thinks he can trade with Al Shabaab and get finances from the West and keep the proceeds from the illicit trade all at the same time. It will not work. Al Shabaab folks are simply mapping out how they will expand the war to Kenya and make more money to fight more effectively in Somalia.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

That commander's command of English is suspect.  Naija officers are usually highly educated; often the cream.

That said, this might just boil down to good old fashioned ukabila.  I have heard that there are divisions in the military between Northerners and Southerners.

Serious corruption has always existed but it never affected their foreign operations.  They never had such problems in Liberia and elsewhere because they were fighting on foreign territory.

[Omollo]

It looks like armies of four countries were routed by this so called ragtag army. It goes to show that where corruption exists no fighting spirit remains. The Nigerian military is the most corrupt in Africa. Now see how it has turned out to be a paper tiger.

[MOON Ki]

Armies on The Beloved Continent can sometimes be hard to understand, unless one is prepared to assume that  "eating chicken" as one of their primary official missions.  Take, for example, the DRC.   Over 6 million dead, mass rapes, massive destruction of property, the dislocation of large numbers of people .... and it turns out that senior people in the DRC army have been very busy selling weapons to the very rebels they are supposed to be fighting!

This has been going on for years. After lengthy investigations, the UN finally revealed quite a bit in 2012:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/congo-democratic-amisi-idUSL5E8MLMLG20121121

Kabila acted swiftly: the Army Chief-of-Staff was suspended, quickly arrested, quickly tried, and quickly found innocent.  But something had to be done?   Well, for that there's an African trick, routinely practiced in Kenya---re-shuffle and re-deploy:

http://africanarguments.org/2014/10/09/congo-kabila-reshuffles-his-military-pack-by-alex-ntung/

So the mayhem continues.   As we would say in Kenya, kazi iendelee.    And, in the DRC, as in Kenya, inaendelea.   Why should Oga-Land be left behind?   After all, they how many  know better how to eat chicken?

[Omollo]

Defeat is staring Nigeria's state in the face and they have not yet realized. BH is consolidating, making money and opening new avenues to keep supplies coming.

[RV Pundit]

Like in Mali [or with ISIS]; that will be pyrrhic victory for the BH given their association with global terror; US and others will step in to kick them back to their enclave. This is lose-lose strategy.

Defeat is staring Nigeria's state in the face and they have not yet realized. BH is consolidating, making money and opening new avenues to keep supplies coming.

[Omollo]

I think the strategy of these organizations has changed. They know they cannot be tolerated the way Taliban was allowed to stay in power in Pakistan. They are spreading their brand of terror to a wider area and hope that the US and others will eventually be outstretched.

The ISIS is slightly different because that is a deal gone sour. The Sunnis feel they were betrayed by the US having denied electoral victory (along with their allies) twice. They promised to let hell break lose as they take Baghdad or destroy the whole country. They are aware that ground troops will not come unless Baghdad is threatened or taken. I expect some secret deal over the next few months where the core Sunni group will be helped to get rid of extremist elements and with Saudi Money drive out the Shia government.

Mali is NOT pacified as yet. To me the stalemate remains. The rebels took over most of the country in the face of the total collapse of the military- a scenario you should begin to take seriously in Kenya vs Al Shabaab. All the variable s are in place including corruption, army-as-job recruits etc.
 

[Omollo]

I see an election plot in this. The areas under attack do not vote for Jonathan. Disrupted as they are, it will be a walkover for Goodwill

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I see an election plot in this. The areas under attack do not vote for Jonathan. Disrupted as they are, it will be a walkover for Goodwill

On second thoughts.  I don't think there is any plot.  This military is a paper tiger.  It's at an advanced stage of rot. 

Boko Haram are unlike anything they have faced before.  They actually stand their ground and fight.  Naija is now hoping against hope that Chad or Niger will come to their rescue.  Pathetic.

[skatebodi]

I see an election plot in this. The areas under attack do not vote for Jonathan. Disrupted as they are, it will be a walkover for Goodwill

On second thoughts.  I don't think there is any plot.  This military is a paper tiger.  It's at an advanced stage of rot. 

Boko Haram are unlike anything they have faced before.  They actually stand their ground and fight.  Naija is now hoping against hope that Chad or Niger will come to their rescue.  Pathetic.

This seems to be a rather overrated group of ill trained and poorly indoctrinated soldiers with a big budget. The whole of ~$2.3 bn  annually for the last several years and you have men running away surrendering valuable weapons to the enemy? BH is simply inheriting weapons left by whole barracks deserting. The affected region is slowly falling under BH and it is inconceivable that a large section of the Nigeria of Yakubu Gowon et al., is effectively under the reign of a group of terrorists. Nigeria must throw everything at its disposal into this task. Hata uchaguzi is not as important as establishing control over its territory! Election outcomes will be tasteless in this situation.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33226:nigeria-to-cut-defence-spending&catid=54:Governance&Itemid=118

and here is the territory:  http://www.polgeonow.com/2014/09/war-in-nigeria-map-of-boko-haram.html

Sketie

[veritas]

I'm dating a marine at the moment who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and he tells me some very interesting stuff. Terrorism is a real threat and a very expensive ordeal.

[Omollo]

Did he share with you how Saddam was behind 911 yet?

I'm dating a marine at the moment who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and he tells me some very interesting stuff. Terrorism is a real threat and a very expensive ordeal.

[veritas]

Omollo, he told me he'd protect me from the bad guys and wears a tight shirt. He has killer abs and biceps. He was a sargeant and misses screaming at guys in the morning for ... I think he called it PT? PE ? Teepee? I can't understand him most of the time because he has a thick American accent. I do the talking and he says I'm really smart.