Chad ‘rescues Borno town from Boko Haram’

The Chadian army says it has chased Boko Haram militants out of Malumfatori, a town in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno.

BBC quoted a senior official from Niger as saying that it took the Chadian military two days of fighting which included the deployment of ground and air forces, to overpower the insurgents.

Malumfatori lies near the borders of Chad and Niger.

Niger officials said Chadian ground forces moved into the town after crossing Lake Chad.

Some of those who fled the area told the BBC they saw military planes bombing the town, which is on the shores of Lake Chad.

Meanwhile, reports from the area say fighting has now spread to a nearby town, Abadam.

African Union heads of state are due to discuss the crisis over Boko Haram at their summit beginning on Friday, with John Mahama, the president of Ghana, saying the leaders must produce a “specific plan of action” to “deal permanently” with Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram insurgency has affected countries sharing land borders with Nigeria in the northeast, where the violent campaign of the sect is pronounced.