Militant group Boko Haram is "the worst enemy of Islam" and will be defeated because West African Muslims reject its violent actions and harsh interpretation of the Koran, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Friday.
Nigeria's opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) declared an election victory on Tuesday for former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari and said Africa's most populous nation was witnessing history with its first democratic transfer of power.
"Boko Haram is finished" shouted a jubilant soldier from Niger as his comrades danced and waved their rifles in the air to celebrate the liberation of the northern Nigerian town of Damasak.
Nigeria has brought in hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to give its offensive against Boko Haram a shot in the arm before a March 28 election, according to regional security, defense and diplomatic sources.
