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As Boko Haram Leader, Abubakar Shekau warns Trump.
President elect of the United states of America, Donald Trump has asked skeptical questions about US African policies, with some of his questions bordering on the position of the U.S. in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria and why the country is spending huge amount of money fighting Boko Haram even when all abducted Chibok girls has not been rescued.
This is part of the queries contained in a four-page write up of Africa related questions relating to terrorism and corruption raised by Donald Trump’s transition team and obtained by the New York Times.
- Why should we spend funds on Africa when we are suffering here in the US?
The U.S’ involvement in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists began in 2014 when it sent some 80 military personnel to Nigeria after the group kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok. However, the Donald Trump transition team’s questions has raised suspicions that the new president might cut several US support/aid to African countries.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the election of Donald Trump last November, leader of the jihadist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, had sent out a warning, stating that “the war has just begun”. The following statements were attributed to Shekau.
“Do not be overwhelmed by people like Donald Trump and the global coalition fighting our brethren in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and everywhere. We remain steadfast on our faith and we will not stop. To us, the war has just begun,”
“We’re done with Obama, now we’re going to start with Trump… we remain convinced by our faith and we will not stop. For us, the war is just beginning,”
Other questions raised by the Trump transition team includes;
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Are we losing out to the Chinese?
One of the first questions in the document, according to the Times, is “How does US business compete with other nations in Africa? Are we losing out to the Chinese?” One could argue, as Peter Navarro, head of Trump’s National Trade Council, has, that this is the case. Navarro wrote in his 2011 book, Death by China, that China’s “is moving relentlessly across Africa… locking down strategic natural resources, locking up emerging markets, and locking out the United States.”
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Why hasn’t al Shabaab been defeated?
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government, marred by allegations of corruption and misappropriating funds, has done little to provide much-need public services since it was elected in 2012.
The African Union peacekeeping forces have also struggled to defeat the terrorist group. Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab has accelerated its campaign, killing high-ranking government and intelligence officials and masterminding suicide car bombs throughout Somalia’s election season.
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We’ve been hunting Kony for years, is it worth the effort?
The six-year hunt for Joseph Kony, the rebel leader of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army, has been described as “searching for a needle in 20 haystacks.” Even though the LRA poses no threat to America’s national security, the deployment of 100 US troops to help Uganda and neighboring countries fight Kony, has bipartisan support from politicians and human rights advocates.
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