‘Shekau’ denies ceasefire deal with FG in new video

By Ndahi Marama, with Agency reports

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau yesterday dismissed claims about ceasefire talks between his group and the government, even as Federal Government officials are now trading blames over the phantom ceasefire deal brokered by the President of Chad, Idriss Déby.

A new Boko Haram video obtained by AFP yesterday showed militants on an armoured vehicle parading down a road in an unidentified town they apparently control and the group’s leader Abubakar Shekau preaching to the residents.

Boko Haram had already renamed Gwoza in Borno as Darul Hikma or House of Wisdom and Mubi in Adamawa as Madinatul Islam which means City of Islam.

In the 44-minute video, Shekau, who is pictured in close-up shots dismissed government claims about ceasefire talks and threatened to kill the man who presented himself as Boko Haram’s negotiator.

The video, which was delivered through the same channels as past messages, shows armed men lined along a well-paved road, with three pick-up trucks, with heavy weapons also visible.

Black crested flags associated with the Islamist group are also shown.

In the video, Shekau restated a call he first made in August, saying, “We have indeed established an Islamic caliphate. To everyone living in Islamic Caliphate, we convey our greetings,” he said, specifically mentioning “brethren” in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Shishan (an Islamist term for Chechnya), Yemen, Somalia and “The caliphate in Iraq and Syria.”

A graphic shown later includes a picture the IS group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as well as a portion of the message his group issued on July 1, proclaiming a caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

 

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‘Shekau’ denies ceasefire deal with FG in new video