Army introduces non-kinetic approach to insurgency war

As the war against insurgency in the northeast turns the corner, the Nigerian Army has embarked on a post-conflict rehabilitation, resettlement and re-organisation of the ravaged areas as a follow-up to its Operation Last Hold that saw the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.

This new initiative, which would be carried out in conjunction with sister forces and other critical stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders and private organisations, according to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, would attempt to remove the last vestiges of war from the psychology of the affected communities.

According to Buratai, who unveiled the plan he described as a “non-kinetic approach” to conflict management at a recent session with media chiefs in Abuja, the initiative is a redesigned architecture to take security management to a new level that would involve active soldier-civilian participation.

He said: “Our security architecture as a country is one with a very positive outlook.

We are now consolidating on the gains achieved in the fight against insurgency in the northeast as part of the stabilisation phase of our operations, where all efforts are geared towards ensuring that displaced persons are fully returned to their ancestral homes, which are now relatively safe.

“I have directed that another sustained campaign focused on community stabilisation be conducted to counter the negative narrative and ideology of the Boko Haram terrorists.

This is necessitated by the power, which is inherent in a community when members of the community team up to achieve a desired objective.