boko haram agrees to hold a pease talk with the government

The government of Nigeria has been
approached by a group that says it is a faction
of the Boko Haram sect with an offer to hold
peace talks, a spokesman for President
Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday. The
members of the militant Islamist group have
killed more than 600 people in Africa’s most
populous nation in a spate of bombings and
shootings since Buhari was inaugurated as
president on May 29. But it seems the much
desired peace is set to happen. “A faction of the
Boko Haram group came forward claiming to
have the mandate to negotiate with the
government,” said presidential spokesman
Garba Shehu, adding that efforts were under
way to “verify their claims” of having such
authority. Efforts to reach an agreement to end
the violence, including a 2014 deal fostered by
Chad, have repeatedly failed during the six-year
insurgency waged by the group in its bid to set
up a state in the northeast adhering to strict
Islamic laws. Buhari’s administration has
previously said it was not averse to negotiating
with the group which has killed thousands and
left around 1.5 million people displaced during
its insurgency. “It is now left for them to show
proof that they have the mandate, but they
made it clear that they are representing a
faction of Boko Haram that wants peace,” said
Shehu.