The leader of
Nigeria’s Boko Haram denied he had been killed or ousted as chief of the
jihadist group in an audio recording released Sunday attributed to him by
security experts.
In the
eight-minute Hausa-language message, Abubakar Shekau rebuffed claims by Chadian
leader Idriss Deby that he had been replaced and called the president a
“hypocrite” and a “tyrant”.Shekau missing.
“It is indeed all
over the global media of infidels that I am dead or that I am sick and
incapacitated and have lost influence in the affairs of religion,” he said in
the recording released on social media.
“It should be
understood that this is false. This is indeed a lie. If it were true, my voice
wouldn’t have been heard, now that I am speaking.”
Deby declared on
August 12 that efforts to combat neighbouring Nigeria’s Boko Haram jihadists
had succeeded in “decapitating” the group and would be wrapped up “by the end
of the year”.
Deby told
reporters in the capital N’Djamena Boko Haram was no longer led by the fearsome
Shekau and that his successor, whom he named as Mahamat Daoud, was open to
talks.
“Gratitude be to
Allah and with his help, I have not disappeared. I am still alive and I am not
dead. And I will not die until my time appointed by Allah is up,” Shekau said
in the message.
The SITE
Intelligence Group verified the authenticity of the message, and an AFP
correspondent with extensive experience of reporting Boko Haram said it exactly
resembled Shekau’s voice in previous recordings.
– Taunts –
Shekau’s absence
from Boko Haram videos in recent months has fuelled speculation that he might
have been killed or wounded.
He has not spoken
publicly since he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in an
audio recording released on March 7.
The jihadist
commander refers to himself in the new recording for the first time as “leader
of the west Africa wing” of IS and pays homage to its leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, referring to him as the “Caliph of Muslims”.
He taunted
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power on May 29 vowing to
crush Boko Haram and ordered his military chiefs last week to end the
insurgency within three months.
“This
ostentatious person, a liar — I mean Buhari, who raised arms to crush us in
three months. You Buhari, why didn’t you say in three years?” Shekau demanded.
“We will
certainly fight you by the grace of Allah until we establish Allah’s law
everywhere on Earth.”
Boko Haram has
been waging a six-year uprising against the Nigerian state, which has claimed
more than 15,000 lives.
The jihadists
have repeatedly extended their northeastern insurgency into border areas of
Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In recent weeks
suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged several attacks in Nigeria,
Cameroon and Chad.
The four
countries, plus Benin, have pledged troops towards a regional 8,700-strong
force aimed at ending the insurgency and due to deploy within days.
– ‘Global
terrorist’ –
Speculation about
Shekau’s condition — and even his true identity — has been rampant in Nigeria
for years.
The wanted
Islamist leader’s whereabouts are unknown, but he has in the past made himself
heard whenever he has been proclaimed dead.
Some experts and
Nigerian security officials insist “Shekau” is a composite character, with
different militant fighters stepping into the role at different times.
The original
Abubakar Shekau — the son of poor farmers who became radicalised in a series of
theological schools before taking over Boko Haram in 2010 — actually died
months, or possibly several years ago, according to the security services.
But the United
States and other experts have questioned the credibility of that claim.
“Here I am,
alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath,” the insurgent leader,
who has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council and declared a “global
terrorist” by the United States, said in a video released in October last year.
He issued a similarly
boastful denial in 2013 after the military claimed he may have died from a
gunshot wound.
