(Lake Chad) is the convergent point for 3 African counties (Nigeria/Chad/Senegal) with a fourth Niger only 20 miles away.
In the past due to tightly held jurisdiction, national pride and a very blurred border there has been an acute lack of cooperation between the four states over most matters, but specifically security , this has been exploited by the likes of Boko Haram who when faced with pressure from one country has simply crossed the border into another, allowing them to regroup and live another day.
However everything changed in 2014 when France deployed 3000 troops to Niger , Mali and Chad in which to take on the jihaists who had taken control of most of Mali and were spreading out to other countries in the region in which to cause mischief. Under the guidance of the French, the four countries around Lake Chad have started sharing information and working together in which to clamp down on these religious bigots who feel that they should get to rule by the bullet and the bomb rather than the ballot box. Well over the weekend a combined operation by the four countries paid dividends when they corned 20 armed Boko Haram thugs who pressed on all sides found they had no route to go other than 6 feet under. 4 soldiers were wounded during the engagement.
Ramadan death toll stands at 1,149
