Chad President, Idris Deby has confirmed that Boko Haram have a new leader.
He did not say what had happened to Abubakar Shekau, but said he had been replaced by Mahamat Daoud - who has not been heard of before.
Mr Shekau has not featured in the group's recent videos, leading to speculation that he has been killed.
Mr Deby, whose troops have been involved in battling Boko Haram, said Mr Daoud was open to dialogue.
BBC's Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says that last year, the Chadian leader was said to be brokering peace talks with Boko Haram.
Mr Shekau took over as the group's leader after the its founder, Muhammad Yusuf, died in Nigerian police custody in July 2009.
Under his leadership the group has become more radical and carried out more killings.
The last Boko Haram video, which was released earlier this month, showed an unidentified young man speaking in the name of the Islamic State in West Africa calling on people to be patient: "We are still present everywhere we had been before."
He spoke in the regional Hausa language, with an accent from the Kanuri ethnic group, to which Mr Shekau belongs.
It's important to note that there have been accusations, by the former regime, against the Chadian government of aiding the Boko Haram and also looting of properties in war-torn areas across the Nigerian Border.
It does not come as a surprise that the Chadian government is the first to announce such development.
BBC Africa contributed to this report.
No comments
Post a Comment