NIGER Republic's military authorities have asked all of the residents of the Lake Chad islands to vacate the area as they plan to mount an aggressive onslaught on Boko Haram terrorists still operational in the area. 

Over the last two months, under the terms of a regional pact, Niger Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad have launched a joint offensive against Boko Haram. This has resulted in successive raids against the terrorists, pushing them out of many of their strongholds and confining them to a small area in the Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad area. 

While the Nigerian Army is focusing on flushing Boko Haram out of Sambisa Forest in Borno State, the Nigeriens plan to clear the Lake Chad area of the insurgents. Last weekend a Boko Haram attack on the Lake Chad Basin which borders all four countries left at least 74 people dead. 

One Chadian military source said: “The governor of Diffa invites people living on the islands in Lake Chad to rejoin the mainland. Measures will be taken to ensure their safety and resettlement.” 

Diffa is the provincial capital of south-eastern Niger, which borders north-eastern Nigeria, considered the jihadists’ stronghold. Last weekend's attack in the area was the country’s heaviest loss since it joined the regional offensive against the militants and resulted in the authorities declaring three days of mourning. 

Niger, which has several islands in Lake Chad, lost at least 46 soldiers and 28 civilians in the Boko Haram attack on the island of Karamga on Saturday. Interior minister Hassoumi Massaoudou, said that 156 terrorists were also killed in the assault on an army base on the island and that 32 troops were missing, although he said Niger had since retaken control of Karamga.