Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau still given for dead

The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has once again been announced dead. The leader of the terrorist group is reported to have killed himself during clashes. According to some details, it is thanks to calls that were intercepted by the West African spy agency that the death was confirmed.

The Wall Street Journal, an American media outlet, revealed on Friday that the leader of the Boko Haram jihadist group, Abubakar Shekau, had committed suicide during clashes with a group affiliated with the Islamic State organisation in Africa. One of the world’s most brutal and feared terrorists, who has rampaged across much of West and Central Africa, killing thousands and forcing millions of people into forced displacement, is once again reported dead.

His death was reportedly the result of clashes with a rival platoon. While no official confirmation has yet been made by the Nigerian government or the Islamic State organisation, the Wall Street Journal, which was able to access intercepted calls between rebels discussing his suicide during the clashes, as well as an audio message from a former mediator between Shekau and the Nigerian government, reporting his death, confirmed the death of the jihadist leader.

In March 2013 and September 2014, Abubakar Shekau had been given up for dead by the Nigerian army, which had indicated that the jihadist leader had been killed by its soldiers during clashes. Some time later, as Washington expressed doubts about the death of the fearsome jihadist, Shekau made an appearance in which he called some heads of state, including Idriss Déby of Chad and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, « liars ». Even today, the death of this man, known for his ferocity, has been announced. What is the reality of the situation?

However, it is known that the violence perpetrated by the jihadist group Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people since 2009, when the group was founded, and has displaced millions of people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where this armed group has finally installed terror among the population.