Nigeria’s Boko Haram Militants Announce Cease-Fire

ABUJA — A man who claims to be a commander from the Islamist militant group known as Boko Haram declared a unilateral cease-fire Monday in Maiduguri in northern Nigeria.  It is not clear if Sheik Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulazeez is speaking for all of Boko Haram, but officials say they will consider terms laid out by the group. This is the first time a person has physically appeared at a press conference claiming to be a Boko Haram leader.  Usually they call from blocked lines, post You Tube videos or send e-mails when they want something made public.  In a 10-minute speech, Abdulazeez says he is second in command to Abubakar Shekau, the man who is believed to lead the group.  Reading a statement in the local Hausa language, Abdulazeez urges all Boko Haram members to lay down their weapons and also to tell their friends so security forces can arrest anyone “carrying arms or killing under our names.”

Nobody knows how many factions there are of Boko Haram and which ones may take orders from Abdulazeez.  By their actions, some Boko Haram members appear to want to enforce a harsh form of Islamic law while others are just at war with Nigerian security forces.   Abdulazeez says in return for the cease-fire, the Borno state government, in the heart of the insurgency, has agreed to release imprisoned Boko Haram members.  If the government doesn’t fulfill what he describes as a “promise,” he says the security crisis will continue indefinitely continued