Lake Chad force: Nigeria turns to Sahel juntas to revive MNJTF after Niger's exit

Nigeria is working with the military governments of the Sahel to strengthen the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), the regional force fighting Boko Haram around Lake Chad.

Defence spokesman Major General Samaila Uba disclosed this at a joint security briefing in Abuja on Thursday. He said current and former MNJTF commanders, academics and other experts had met to look at how the force could work better despite changing alliances in the region, and that he expected results from the high-level talks very soon.

The MNJTF was set up in 2015 with troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin. Niger has stopped taking part since it joined Mali and Burkina Faso in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The three countries, all run by military leaders who seized power in coups, left ECOWAS and have rejected efforts to bring them back. The forum also discussed the impact of their departure and diplomatic options.

Uba did not say what form the cooperation with the AES would take.