The African Union (AU) has donated fighting equipment to boost the counter-insurgency operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

This is contained in a statement issued by the spokesperson for the task force, Kamarudeen Adegoke, from the MNJTF headquarters, N’Djamena Chad, on Tuesday.

Mr Adegoke said the donation was made through the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

He said the equipment included Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), vehicles, high calibre generators, Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) equipment, and office equipment, among others.

Mr Adegoke said the equipment were handed over to the recipients’ Troops Contributing Countries (TCCs) of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad after the necessary paperwork and authorisation by the AU.

According to him, the approval is a sequel to the visit of the force commander, MNJTF, Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim, to the AU Continental Logistics Base in Doula, Cameroon, in November 2021 where he inspected and identified various equipment that would be useful in its counter-insurgency operations.

The force commander said the equipment were given to the sector to improve their combat efficiency in war zones and praised the doggedness of the sector in the course of Operation Lake Sanity, urging them to do more.

The theatre commander, Maj.-Gen. Musa appreciated the AU for the donations, saying with such donations, the North-East operational environment would soon be secured.

(NAN)