By Dr Uche Diala
First, I pray that the souls of those farmers murdered in cold blood yesterday rest in peace and may their killers never find peace.
There is no question that we are faced with a serious security challenge that seems intractable but we have to address them squarely and holistically beyond emotions and sentiments.
Many have suggested that the Service Chiefs be sacked on grounds of incompetence, citing the attacks and killings. But are the Service Chiefs really the problem? One might ask – do we know how many of such attacks might have been foiled or prevented from happening by the Military? This and maybe more are security information that we as citizen spectators/commentators might not have but which the President and Commander in Chief might have that probably informed his decision that changing the Service Chiefs at this time, while it might assuage public sentiments might not have tangible impact on the challenges at hand. This might sound insensitive but that is how intellectual discourses ought to go. We look at every angle.
Our Military is already stretched and strained no question. The Military cannot do it alone and we cannot simply shoot or bomb the insurgency away. Insurgencies and unconventional or Assymetric Warfare are not won that way alone.
For A Little Insight.
Asymmetric warfare (or asymmetric engagement) is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly. This is typically a war between a standing, professional army (like the Nigerian Army) and an insurgency or resistance movement militias (like Boko Haram) who often have status of unlawful combatants.
Asymmetric warfare can describe a conflict in which the resources of two belligerents differ in essence and in the struggle, interact and attempt to exploit each other’s characteristic weaknesses.
Such struggles often involve strategies and tactics of unconventional warfare, the weaker combatants attempting to use strategy to offset deficiencies in quantity or quality of their forces and equipment. Such strategies may not necessarily be militarized. This is in contrast to symmetric warfare, where two powers have comparable military power and resources and rely on tactics that are similar overall, differing only in details and execution.
The term is also frequently used to describe what is also called “guerrilla warfare”, “insurgency”, “counterinsurgency”, “rebellion”, “terrorism”, and “counterterrorism”, essentially violent conflict between a formal military and an informal, less equipped and supported, undermanned but resilient and motivated opponent. Asymmetric warfare is a form of irregular warfare. (Credit Wikipedia)
It is this art of Assymetric warfare that Boko Haram has explored and exploited, (having been heavily degraded by the Nigerian Military) resorting to hitting soft targets, kidnappings, sensational beheadings etc to attract Media attention, knowing that it is accountable to no one while the Nigerian Military cannot descend to such barbarism and recklessness knowing it is bound by laws, conventions and rules of engagement even when fighting against ruthless, senseless, godless, blood thirsty maniacs like Boko Haram.
Methinks, we need a holistic, multi sectoral, all encompassing and all involving approach to solving this enduring security challenge.
In search of broad and holistic solutions to this menace, there is one area of this anti-terrorism (Boko Haram) fight that in my view might be lacking or not still well explored and exploited – the area of ‘winning hearts and minds’. These Boko Haram insurgents are largely our sons and maybe daughters with parents that are known. If I am not mistaken.
We have to rise above emotions and anger, even as they are justified and think out of the box for solutions. Otherwise there is no guarantee that even after President Buhari leaves office, the madness will stop or that if he changes the Service Chiefs today, it will end.
This brings me to a remark by my brother Engr. Ahmed on this matter: “The sooner we stop killing ourselves by ourselves, we will be better for it. We the northerners are responsible for all the problems we are facing. Who are the bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers, armed rubbers, terrorists up north? Farmers have been killed yesterday or so, by who? Are we and the so called northern leaders (if they still exist) ready for the radical change? Let’s face it please. All these nonsense will stop whenever we are ready. Haba”
Then I read somewhere where Kingsley Ugwunna suggested changing the “Traditional Chiefs” (in the affected areas) as against changing the ‘Service Chiefs’ being sang by some others. This might be worth looking into from some experience we have.
In summary:
1. Even as the Military has done a lot in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, considering where we were in 2015 when a number of local government areas were under Boko Haram control with thousands kidnapped in large numbers and bombings and suicide bombings were rampant, even in the Federal capital, Abuja, a lot more needs to done.
2. More deliberate effort should be put into winning the battle of ‘hearts and minds’. This is a very vital aspect of winning the war on terror. If the people are more on the side of the Military, that would make the job a lot easier.
4. Citizens of the most affected areas need to be even more cooperative with the security Agencies even in their long suffering. Information is vital in such battles.
Civilians could play an important role in determining the outcome of an asymmetric war. In such conflicts, when it is easy for insurgents to quickly assimilate into the population after an attack, tips on timing or location of insurgent activity can greatly undermine the resistance (terrorists). An information-centric framework, in which civilians are seen primarily as sources of strategic information rather than resources, provides a paradigm to better understand the dynamics of such conflicts where civilian information-sharing is important.
The framework assumes that: the consequential action of noncombatants (civilians) is information sharing, rather than supplying resources, recruits, or shelter to combatants and that information can be shared anonymously, without endangering the civilian who relays it.
5. Northern Governors, Emirs and other Traditional leaders, Religious, especially Islamic leaders in the North alongside groups like Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) ought to do a lot better in rising to the occasion. They should take practical and urgent steps that would augment the efforts of the government and the military and restore peace and security to the region.
God Bless Nigeria.
Dr Diala is the medical director of NU- Vision Eye Clinic, Abuja
(druchediala@gmail.com)