Chad's dictator, Idriss Deby, is calling for a regional force to fight Boko Haram. He is making this call with, perhaps, a different aim in mind given that the conflict with Boko Haram is not circumscribed to a particular place. Regional forces are meant to police particular places not whole countries. Boko Haram has demonstrated remarkable ability to strike different places in Nigeria. They may have bases in neighboring countries like Chad and Cameroon due to the porous borders that these countries have. Thus, the issue is not so much one of organizing a regional force as it is one of setting up strong internal security. The problem with Nigeria and many other African countries is that internal security is so weak that one can literally carry a bomb into any place without being detected. The situation of the porous borders is made worse by the jarring corruption of border agents who would take bribes to let even the late Osama bin Laden pass into any country. Nigerian leaders should ask themselves why it is that a group like Boko Haram cannot freely operate in Britain or the United States as it does in Nigeria. It is not because the United States has soldiers in the streets as Idriss Deby would like to see; rather, it is because of a strong internal security system. Perhaps Idriss Deby wants to shore up his dictatorship by calling for additional international forces to line the streets of Chad - that is probably why he is calling for the creation of a regional force which will do nothing to stem the chaos being caused by this affiliate of Al Qaeda, Boko Haram. Let's start by creating a strong internal security system. A good internal security system, not soldiers with guns, would stem the tide of Boko Haram.
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