Boko Haram\u2019s elusive leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a new video on
\nThursday to dispute a claim that the jihadist group had been routed from
\nits Sambisa Forest stronghold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are safe. We have not been flushed out of anywhere. And tactics and
\nstrategies cannot reveal our location except if Allah wills by his
\ndecree,\u201d Shekau said in the 25-minute video, flanked by masked armed
\nfighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should not be telling lies to the people,\u201d he said, referring to
\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who said on Christmas Eve that the
\nextremist group had been defeated and driven from the forest, its last
\nknown bastion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you indeed crushed us, how can you see me like this? How many times
\nhave you killed us in your bogus death?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear where the new video was shot, but Shekau, who
\nspoke in both Hausa and Arabic, said it was filmed on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
Shekau last appeared in a video in September where he disputed a claim by
\nthe Nigerian military that he had been wounded in battle. He vowed to
\ncontinue fighting on until an Islamic state was imposed in northern
\nNigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe war is not over yet. There is still more,\u201d he said, vowing no
\n\u201crespite\u201d for Nigerians. He urged followers around the world to \u201cfight and
\nkill infidels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur aim is to establish an Islamic Caliphate and we have our own
\nCaliphate, we are not part of Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boko Haram, which last year pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group,
\nhas been in the grip of a power struggle.<\/p>\n
The IS high command said in August that Shekau had been replaced as leader
\nby Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the 22-year-old son of Boko Haram\u2019s founder
\nMohammed Yusuf. \u2013 \u2018Largest crisis in Africa\u2019 \u2013 The fresh video came after
\nBuhari announced that a months-long military campaign in the 1,300
\nsquare-kilometre (500 square-mile) forest in northeastern Borno state had
\nled to the \u201cfinal crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave
\nin Sambisa Forest\u201d.<\/p>\n
The government in Abuja and the military have frequently claimed victories
\nagainst the jihadists but access to the epicentre of the conflict is
\nstrictly controlled, making independent verification virtually impossible.<\/p>\n
Attacks have meanwhile continued, casting doubt over claims that Boko
\nHaram has been defeated, despite undoubted progress in pushing back the
\ngroup. Boko Haram is waging a seven-year-old uprising against the Nigerian
\nstate that has claimed more than 20,000 lives, with the insurgency
\nspilling over the West African nation\u2019s borders into neighbouring states.<\/p>\n
The insurgency has left around 2.6 million people homeless, sparking a
\ndire humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning the affected
\nregion faces the \u201clargest crisis in Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n
The UN estimates that 14 million people will need external help next year
\nbecause of the violence, particularly in Borno State, the jihadist
\nheartland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boko Haram\u2019s elusive leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a new video on Thursday to dispute a claim that the jihadist group had been routed from its Sambisa Forest stronghold. \u201cWe…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n