President Idris Deby of Chad on Wednesday stated that he knew the hideout of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
According to an AFP report, the Chadian president also called on the leader of the insurgent group “to surrender, or be killed like his other comrades”.
“It is in Abubakar Shekau’s interest to surrender, we know where he is. If he refuses to give himself up, he will suffer the same fate as his comrades,” President Deby reportedly said.
Deby vowed to “wipe out” Boko Haram, responsible for more than 15,000 deaths, mainly in Nigeria.
Boko Haram kingpin Shekau has been an elusive target for security forces who have sought to bring him to book for terrorist acts that have targeted civilians, security officials, villages, schools, markets and places of worship.
Claims by the Nigerian military that Shekau had been killed have proved inaccurate as he is frequently featured in propaganda videos released on the Internet by the insurgents.
However, multi-national military operations by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun and Niger have halted the advance of Boko Haram, and several towns and villages have been recovered from the terrorist group in the past few weeks.
The Chadian Army also announced this week that its soldiers have routed insurgents out of the key town of Dikwa in Borno State.
At the press conference on Wednesday, the Chadian leader said Shekau fled Dikwa after his troops chased out Boko Haram fighters on February 17.
According to the AFP, the Chadian army at the time said two of its soldiers and 117 Boko Haram Islamists were killed in the fighting.
“We are going to win the war and we are going to wipe out Boko Haram, contrary to what certain media think. The Chadian and Niger forces will continue their mission to finally put an end to this shadowy group,” the Chadian president said.
President Deby had been accused in the past of providing a safe haven for Boko Haram insurgents, and was purportedly the mediator in a ceasefire between the Nigerian government and the sect in 2014 which turned out to be phony.