Boko Haram Says It Has “Closed All Possible Doors Of Negotiation”

Radical Islamic sect Boko Haram said on Tuesday that it has “closed all possible doors of negotiation” with the Nigerian federal government after tentative peace talks collapsed last week.

Reuters reported that a purported spokesman of the sect made the statement to local journalist in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and Boko Haram base, two days after Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmad, a top mediator for the peace talks pulled out.

Ahmad’s retreat from the peace process stalled the dialogue, which was aimed at bringing an end to increasingly frequent violent attacks by the Boko Haram sect. The president of the Supreme Council of Shariah in Nigeria had said in a statement that he was opting out of the talks because he believed the federal government to be insincere.

He said sensitive information discussed during a confidential meeting with top officials of the federal government had made its way to the press, placing the group in an embarrassing situation.

“Almighty God has told us repeatedly that the unbelievers will never respect the promises they made. As such, henceforth, we will never respect any proposal for dialogue,” the sect’s spokesman, operating under the name Abu Qaqa, said in the phone interview.