Abstract
The activity of insurgent groups such as the Boko Haram, the Islamic state in the West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Bakura in the Nigeria’s North-East show no sign of abating and the situation in the region is deteriorating. The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), since 2014 was established to help the four Lake Chad states- Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria coordinate counter-insurgency efforts against Boko Haram and its splinter groups in the region. Those states have conducted a series of military operations, often involving troops from one country crossing into another using the MNJTF banner. The paper examines the issues and challenges of MNJTF counter-insurgency operations in the Lake Chad Region. Highlighted also in the paper are: the mandates of the MNJTF; insurgency and counter-insurgency; profile of the Lake Chad Region environment; an overview of the MNJTF counter-insurgency operations in the Lake Chad Region and the achievement and challenges of the MNJTF. It is recommended in the paper amongst others that the government of the four states of the Lake Chad Region should restate their commitment to the force over long term aims to improve its performance and match new resources to agreed priorities.