Civilian Joint Task Force

Last updated

The Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)was founded in Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria, in 2008. It was established in response to the Boko Haram insurgency, aimed at assisting the Nigerian military in combating the group. The CJTF's primary functions include providing intelligence, participating in search and rescue operations, and engaging in direct combat against insurgents. Volunteers from local communities are organized into units, often equipped with basic weapons and training provided by the military. Their work is crucial in supporting military efforts and enhancing security in affected areas. [1] [2] The vigilante group numbers over 26,000 in the northeastern Borno and Yobe States, of which only 1,800 receive a salary ($50 per month). [3] The CJTF has suffered about 600 casualties in the conflict, counting both lost and missing members. [3]

Contents

The CJTF has been accused of abuses, including slaughtering men beside a mass grave, diverting food destined for starving families and beating men and subjecting women and girls to systematic sexual violence in camps. [3]

Structure and Organization

[4] The CJTF is composed mainly of local volunteers who are familiar with the terrain and the communities they protect. These volunteers work alongside the Nigerian military and other security forces. The organization is structured to include various units responsible for different operational tasks, such as intelligence gathering, surveillance, and community patrols. The task force is typically organized at the local level, with each unit reporting to a regional commander who coordinates with military officials.

Roles and Responsibilities

[5] 1. Intelligence Gathering: CJTF members provide crucial intelligence on the movements and activities of insurgent groups. Their local knowledge enables them to gather information that might be inaccessible to external forces.

2. Community Protection: The task force conducts patrols and maintains a presence in vulnerable communities to deter insurgent attacks and provide security for local populations.

3. Support to Military Operations: CJTF members assist the Nigerian military in various operations, including raids and checkpoints. They provide logistical support and help in the identification of insurgent hideouts.

4. Humanitarian Assistance: The CJTF has also been involved in providing humanitarian aid to displaced persons and affected communities, including distributing food and medical supplies.

Challenges and Controversies

[6] While the CJTF has been praised for its contributions to the fight against Boko Haram, it has faced several challenges and controversies. Issues include allegations of human rights abuses by some members, financial problems , logistical difficulties, and occasional conflicts with the military over coordination and operational control. Despite these challenges, the CJTF remains a crucial component of Nigeria's counter-insurgency strategy.[ citation needed ]

Impact

[7] The CJTF has been instrumental in supporting military operations and providing security in areas affected by insurgency. Its local knowledge and commitment have helped in reducing the impact of Boko Haram's attacks and stabilizing affected communities. The task force's efforts have also contributed to the broader goal of restoring peace and security in northeastern Nigeria.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Boko Haram uprising</span> Part of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria

The 2009 Boko Haram uprising was a conflict between Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group, and Nigerian security forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram</span> African jihadist organization

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is a self-proclaimed jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

Abadam is a remote Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria, on the western coast of Lake Chad. It borders Chad and Niger, and it's very close to Cameroon, in 2016 its population is projected to be 140,000 inhabitants, It has its headquarters in the town of Malumfatori. Security, Healthcare, infrastructure, and climate change are some of the major challenges in Abadam Local government.

Marte is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria, on the western coast of Lake Chad. Its headquarters are in the town of Marte

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwoza</span> LGA and town in Borno State, Nigeria

Gwoza is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gwoza, a border town "about 135 kilometres South-East of Maiduguri." The postal code of the area is 610.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram insurgency</span> Insurgency in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing issues of religious violence between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities, and the insurgents' ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic state in the region.

The Baga massacre began on 16 April 2013 in the village of Baga, Nigeria, in Borno State, when as many as 200 civilians were killed, hundreds wounded, and over 2,000 houses and businesses worth millions of Naira were destroyed. Refugees, civilians officials, and human rights organizations accused the Nigerian Military of carrying out the massacre; some military officials blamed the insurgent group Boko Haram.

Timeline of the Boko Haram insurgency is the chronology of the Boko Haram insurgency, an ongoing armed conflict between Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government. Boko Haram have carried out many attacks against the military, police and civilians since 2009, mostly in Nigeria. The low-intensity conflict is centred on Borno State. It peaked in the mid-2010s, when Boko Haram extended their insurgency into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The May 2014 Buni Yadi attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 27 May 2014 in the town of Buni Yadi, Yobe State, Nigeria. Some 49 security personnel and 9 civilians were killed.

The 2015 Baga massacre was a series of mass killings carried out by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Baga and its environs, in the state of Borno, between 3 January and 7 January 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multinational Joint Task Force</span> Military unit

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. It is headquartered in N'Djamena and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – West Africa Province</span> Militant group and branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

The Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), officially Wilāyat Garb Ifrīqīyā, meaning 'West African Province', is a militant group and administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadist militant group and unrecognised quasi-state. ISWAP is primarily active in the Chad Basin, and fights an extensive insurgency against the states of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Turkey. It is an offshoot of Boko Haram with which it has a violent rivalry; Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau killed himself in battle with ISWAP in 2021. Until March 2022, ISWAP acted as an umbrella organization for all IS factions in West Africa including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), although the actual ties between ISWAP and IS-GS were limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 West African offensive</span> Coalition offensive against Boko Haram

Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

On three days immediately before and during Ramadan, 2015, four attacks struck Chad's capital N'Djamena. Three suicide attacks against two police targets killed 33 people on 15 June, five policemen and six terrorists were killed during a police raid on 27 Jun, and a suicide bomber killed 15 in N'Djamena's main market, on 11 July.

On 17 January 2017, a Nigerian Air Force jet mistakenly bombed an internally displaced persons camp near the Cameroonian border in Rann, Borno State. They had believed it was a Boko Haram encampment. The bombing left at least 115 people dead, including six Red Cross aid workers, and left more than 100 injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Turus</span> British military operation in Nigeria

Operation Turus is the code name of the British military operation to assist Nigeria during the Boko Haram insurgency. It was launched in April 2014 by Prime Minister David Cameron in response to the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping which saw over a hundred schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, a jihadist terrorist organisation in northeastern Nigeria. Initial efforts were focused on the search for the missing schoolgirls, with the UK deploying military specialists, satellite imagery and reconnaissance aircraft from the Royal Air Force. According to a source quoted in The Observer, the UK successfully located the missing schoolgirls and offered to rescue them but this offer was rejected by the Nigerian government which considered it a national issue. Most of the schoolgirls remain missing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Basin campaign (2018–2020)</span> Series of battles and offensives in the Chad Basin

The Chad Basin campaign of 2018–2020 was a series of battles and offensives in the southern Chad Basin, particularly northeastern Nigeria, which took place amid the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency. The Chad Basin witnessed an upsurge of insurgent activity from early November 2018, as rebels belonging to the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram launched offensives and several raids to regain military strength and seize territory in a renewed attempt to establish an Islamic state in the region. These attacks, especially those by ISWAP, met with considerable success and resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The member states of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF), namely Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon responded to the increased insurgent activity with counter-offensives. These operations repulsed the rebels in many areas but failed to fully contain the insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koshebe massacre</span> 2020 massacre in Borno State, Nigeria

The Koshebe massacre took place on 28 November 2020 in the village of Koshebe, Nigeria, in Borno State, when as many as 110 civilians and peasant farmers were killed and six were wounded as they worked in rice fields in Koshebe village, near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri. The attack was thought to be carried out by the Boko Haram insurgency. About 15 women were also kidnapped.

In May 2021, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an invasion of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, Nigeria, which was serving as the main base of Boko Haram, a rival jihadist rebel group. Following heavy fighting, ISWAP overran the Boko Haram troops, cornering their leader Abubakar Shekau. The two sides entered negotiations about Boko Haram's surrender during which Shekau committed suicide, possibly detonating himself with a suicide vest. Shekau's death was regarded as a major event by outside observers, as he had been one of the main driving forces in the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria and neighboring countries since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigerian Hunter & Forest Security Service</span> Law enforcement agency

The Nigerian Hunter & Forest Security Service (NHFSS) has emerged as a significant player in Nigeria's fight against insecurity. Established to safeguard the country’s forests, wildlife, and natural resources, NHFSS has gradually evolved into a broader security force, addressing some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, such as insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and illegal logging.

References

  1. ↑ "Civilian JTF women emerge in Borno - Search for female insurgents". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Women join civilian JTF in hunt for Boko Haram". Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "The volunteers who helped beat back Boko Haram are becoming a problem". The Economist . 1 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Kyle, Jordan; Gottlieb, Jessica; Bleck, Jaimie; Kosec, Katrina (26 April 2024). "Local Governance and Crisis Response in Mali". AEA Randomized Controlled Trials. doi:10.1257/rct.13515-1.0 . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Gulyás, Attila (2021). "The Role of the Civilian Joint Task Force in the Improvement of Security in Borno State, Nigeria". Journal of Central and Eastern European African Studies. 1 (4): 32–48. doi:10.59569/jceeas.2021.1.4.28 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN   2786-1902.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  6. ↑ "Civilian joint task force".
  7. ↑ Okokah, Happiness; Ruwan, Ibrahim Ignatius Felix; Iliya, Vakpa; Akise, Ogheneovie O.; Chibueze, Chukwu Daniel (11 March 2021). "ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF COALITION JOINT TASKS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA". International Journal of Management, Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict Studies. 4 (1). ISSN   2682-6127.
Flag of Nigeria.svg

This Nigeria-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.