Foreign Policy quotes Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham on President Buhari’s decision to replace top military officials and the ways in which this decision may lead to US military support in the fight against Boko Haram:
Buhari’s decision to purge the chief of every branch of the armed services and name a well-respected national security advisor just days before he flies to the United States will help his case for more military aid, as some of the military leaders were singled out in the Amnesty report, said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Washington-based think tank, the Atlantic Council.
“It does remove one potential obstacle to one of the things he will undoubtedly be seeking next week — which is more US assistance,” Pham said.
With Boko Haram’s deadly attacks escalating across the Lake Chad basin region, the Obama administration is anxious to help Nigeria take on the extremists before the problem snowballs, Pham said.
“The Boko Haram threat has undoubtedly grown and security now trumps a lot of things,” he said.