libya has seen relative calm since a nation wide ceasefire was signed last october. people here hope the hard one piece won't be short lived, so the work can continue to maintain lucas historical psych, latrina l. g 0. tripoli. ah. so this is our desert. these are the top stories in kazakhstan, president of the not russian troops will begin pulling out within 48 hours. they were sent in during days of anti government protests. more than a 160 people were killed in nearly 10000 detained from a frosty walk as more law from tbilisi in georgia. it really seems like it was a symbolic gesture move to have them in there to, to show that he had the backing of moscow and well, the job is done so as far as he's concerned, they can go home now. and so he said that that process will begin in 2 days and

should be completed within 10 days. but i think that one of the biggest take homes from this speech, in terms of him showing up his strength and his position in kazakhstan now, is that he, he has, he's in full control, and he's announced a big restructuring of the security services from the police to the, to, to, to the, to the secret services to the army and probably putting all, all of the people loyal to him now in charge. the kremlin says he doesn't see any reason for optimism after the 1st round of talks with the us. the discussions in geneva aimed at the escalating tension on ukraine's border the united nations is launching its largest ever humanitarian appeal for a single country. it needs more than $5000000.00 in aid for afghanistan over half the population. that's about 23000000 people face acute hunger. more than half of your population are expected to contract the convent within the next 6 to 8 weeks. that's the latest warning from the world health organization. it's called down

governments to prioritize vaccinations, including booster shots. china's government has ordered the lockdown of a 3rd city to stem the spread of current of iris in an yangon him and province. while the 80 cases of omicron were to take it over the weekend. 20000000 people nationwide are confined to their homes. more americans are in hospital with corona virus now than at any other time. 1.3000000 cases were registered on monday. that's the highest ever daily tele world wide. the volume of infections is overwhelming. hospitals administrators say many doctors and nurses, while they're infected with a virus to or you have to date with headlines. we've got more news coming up here on out 0 right after we go to the inside story from neither clark is good bye for now. ah.

what's behind the wise in so called abandoned attacks in northern nigeria, gunmen kill at least 200 people, reportedly in retaliation for government airstrikes. can anything stop the cycle of violence? this is inside story. ah hello and welcome to the program. i'm hammer, jim, jim armed groups have terrorized people in central and northwestern nigeria for years. the so called bandits burned down villages, steel, cattle,

and kidnap people for ransom. attacks are on the rise and the government appears to be struggling to stop them. at least 200 people were killed in some forest ate last tuesday. witnesses say gunman on motor bikes attacked 8 villages. the assault appears to be retaliation for military airstrikes a day earlier on, the bandits hide out in nearby forests. separately, security forces in some far i rescued nearly 100 hostages, abducted 3 months ago. the police chief says the operation involved airstrikes and in cubby state further west, 30 students were freed. after 7 months. it's unclear whether ransoms were paid. the violence is rooted in a conflict for land and water between nomadic cattle, herders and farmers who come from different ethnic groups. but criminal gangs have become more involved in the past few years. they've extorted millions of dollars from kidnappings. some security analysts call it the most lucrative industry. in nigeria, the president has labeled the gangs terrorist organizations. this allows the

military to deploy more force, and the government can seek international support to fight the armed groups. ah. all right, let's bring in, i guess in a boucher mike edger for former director of nigeria state security service in london. billamore mccarty, senior analyst at the tony blair institute for global change, and in coventry alamosa independent research are focusing on war and conflict in nigeria. a warm welcome to you all, and thanks for joining us on inside story today. we'll, i'm a, let me start with you. were these attacks by armed band? it's in some forest state in response to the air strikes that were conducted last week by the military, against armed bandits, men, that's what the military says. and nigeria, as president calls it, does panic attack. but this is the line from government. when is the attacks night? this is has been denied to port over 5 years. but if you said these wet desperate

people were under a serious military attack, they much into quite different villages. i oakridge at for 48 hours. i would think if they were desperate they should be throwing out their weapons and hiding themselves not much into religious on killing $200.00 people. and we know that these kids of 200 people is a big number. but the statistics show that at least 50 people i queued in the northwestern part of nigeria every single week. and this has been the case over the past and 1215 months. last year i run in 22 into 110 and a half 1000. that unions were accused about 50 percent of them were acute in the northwest and 4 and a half 1000. yes. that is 4500 people were i could not. some of them have been released after they have paid ransom. i just have been cute and some are still in custody. even colleagues will decide you. students use it on the top. who that were

at least yesterday 18 as students consisting of 15 girls and 3 boys and i still in custody and they have been in cost that you $47.00 a month now. so i don't think it is a desperate attack. it is not really tied to it because they were not attacked by villages. in any case, they were attacked by military, dis, i'm so a tough one. if there was one believe these are, or do you think terroristic, attached one in not sent nigerians that we should not top retired yet. what he or despite mike, the term bandit is used often to describe these armed groups and their members. but i'm wondering if that term is too simple. if that term belies how sophisticated these criminal gangs are, how powerful they have become. i wonder if you could dissect for audience who exactly are these bandits?

i mean, who makes up these groups and how did they emerge? issue with us, you know, we wanted to go over that knowledge or do more work over the course school. she drew a go for doctors you by a to at least this is a so much with that for them to do or all you got a really so i would rather do this. i was,

i think the go is not on. do you recall that a silver asked to go to my right abuse or a woman with a a a, i will return it. you know, because we are you sure whose or you know, since ali you, you heard mike there talk about the fact that there was just last week that the government has designated officially these armed groups. these bandits as

terrorists to the government says that this is going to enable them to go after these groups in a more efficient manner to go after the groups to go after their sympathizers. do you think that's the case? do you think this designation of these groups, these band it as terrorists will actually improve the situation? what i think i calling them to something was actually belated arm from day one. this guy who has tire is the government shouldn't have which a dis long to call them or they are, they have always been terrorist. and let me just to watch my colleague make a year for just some of them. ah, what we need to understand about this group of criminals is that some are we need

to understand that there are 3 categories of criminals. because a fall on the bondage who are political criminals, because you criminals in the sense that are in many of them ah, i have nothing really to do with from us head as a crisis. there were folks that are being used by politicians. and now being don't or for being used as pro, exists this has been confirmed by, by, by even the governor of the states who is presently helpless. and he's seeing that yes, there are strong politicians. why isn't then imagine one of the printers to, gee, he's there, he's causing

a lot of me him in the states where he can be arrested. he is responsible for, for 40 killings of what, 200 people in a boss on the boss do a bench. but she can be arrested don, this is one set of the creaminess. other set of the criminals is a google for the, the, the, the, the, the head us. now, eliza people that originally had problems with the families. so you can understand that that's a part of the program cited bitching the guy out from a class between the famous and the heathers. and because there was no gov, men's intervention at the beginning, that continued on to where we're at today. then days also a movement of creaminess from the not is who originally where ah book a her aunt terry's. and they moved on from the ne,

down to the enough worse because the government strategy of dealing with the terrors in enough west was not properly fil sims. kerce it in the sense that whereas when you are fighting korean us you have to do would be it's in such a way that when you despise them, you don't let them. i mean we fight. thank. don't let them just pass. i'll you militia that, i'm sorry, i'm sorry to interrupt you, let me get back to you in just a moment on, on that point that you're making right now. i do have a question about the 1st i want to go to belong, because billamore, you heard ali, you, they're talking about some of the historical roots of the conflict that we're seeing play out in northwestern nigeria. this violence seems to be rooted in conflict for land and water between nomadic cattle, herders and, and farmers. and i want to ask you more about that. if you could walk our viewers to a bit of the history of this conflict and how it's playing out. and if you think it's only going to be worsening, at least in the short term. yeah, i mean the,

the conflict originally started as a farmer, had a crisis and cut to rusty. and that is because there was the competition of us cost with lan source in the northwestern part of nigeria, but also across the country. i remember growing up in the north, east or west in these conflicts read in their heads when it is rainy season where you have farmers and how does it. but then, like i say, in the course of time, then 20 minutes into incited themselves into the field and they took over what was the crisis in the north west, especially in the last 10 years or so i'm what we saw was this growing business of kidnapping for i'm to them and as you sit on the top is the most lucrative industry in nigeria today it is the biggest business given the largest amount of profit you can think of. now then, of course, that was in the tradition by book what it is, but that's a b 2 portion of what we are talking about. what we are talking about in the

northwest to d. i estimated a group of an estimated 30000, you know, divide it over 100 guns. and what they do is to kill not people been down villages and i completely agree with that. that is a commission is known about you. they should have been designated no, but even now that they have been designated, except the government take steps and treats them like general is a problem. have got to be a part of nigeria. mike, are these at bandits? are these armed groups in any way linked to bulk of her rom, or it has vocal horan infiltrated them in any way. we're gonna be fully established with our colleagues. you know, with the dispatcher and we bought, use the tendency for them to move to bar west, which the crew to others are not to show you.

now by means within the law office, especially these are still foresters. now more support. i'm there. they're not. i'm calling because of the russian feed by dishes a little bit more money to buy it. like you said, you are to be your response. so b, this is what this is possibility that goes on there for the increase is true. but with this new or slow having this, they did their orders, i to go to go out. i'm sure out what to do. so marcy, ali you, you were speaking moment ago about different criminal elements and how the government

is combating them. i. i also want to ask you a little bit about boca her rom in combating boca rom in going after boca huron. has the government essentially dropped the ball. busy when it comes to going after other criminal gangs, or other bandits in different parts of the country. well, i don't think really ah, so much we've been don't believe in the case of um, this are criminal enough space in the northwest. ah, particularly if you look at what is happening right now in our state. and like i mention, i have mentioned the case of 2 of you who is a criminal there. unlike my colleague plumber has mentioned, we have a lot of streaming us there. the most christian business to day in nigeria is keep nothing for us. so you can imagine people negotiation which criminals every day

criminals asking for millions of millions of narrow tu, tu, tu, tu, tu? to release human beings. under dogma is watching in some trusted alone. they impose taxes on really just people who are going got money. somebody will have to go out and want to look for money in the c g to current premium is what government is watching, rick. so i, what i'm saying is the government calling them terrors would not change anything or less, the changing our strategy more discriminate yet new. she can just go there and bond them out from the air and then without really putting, i'll go. so just to make sure that that whole lease is stage and you have to soon whole lease and stop them from getting out wilma, because what is happening? go ahead alley, you sorry? yeah. what is happening is that when you want to place on, you let them get house you,

i and in the village just more because you are letting them good to come back and i talked to villages and then you called and you call that desperate retaliation. no, that shouldn't be happening. mama, let me, let me ask you to pick up on a point that aaliyah was making there. you know, it's been reported that in recent weeks, nigerian military has increased air strikes on forest hide out in parts of zone for a. is there any evidence that they have been effective? i mean, it is true that the nigerian military has increased escalated strikes, but we also know that this criminal up over the years must at the the, the, out of the building strikes. and i didn't believe that he has been striking book or had i'm 4 by 6 years now. in fact, about 8 years now. but book one of these 2 read you have in the north eastern part of nigeria. and in the north west, we have seen military strikes, for example, in the 1st quarter of last year. that's 2021 in calhoun i did, than i did

a military rent gas right for 3 months. and in their honor to put in the government report, they said in the 3 months they did asked right pool. a cute, only 67 criminals, 67 of packing of 30000 criminals. we know that they are masters of bidding as strikes and the military would come and re booms and then leave the area only for them to get out of the jungles. i talked in austin nigerians and the fact that the military would rows of douglas strikes this night. we have seen in this, we are talking about where over 200 people where today you know that it is ineffective. you have good to get on the ground as an incorporation, but also there is need for a better cooperation between nigeria and new jersey public because we know that well that one's not major military on slides. the criminals have found

a way of lean that g d s. did you turn into new jersey? probably only for them to return to the military has finished wasting. it's a resources and so it is not effective. and as you is a clear that it hasn't been safety, mike from your vantage point, as the former director of nigeria state security service, let me ask you, do you believe that the scope of the military operations as they are playing out now are too narrow and that in order for them to be effective going forward, they really need to widen them out and cover more territory, especially for his territory where these bandits and his arm groups may be hiding out. you know, i think it's. ready good to you so, so you see how it goes to approach to these are like i say, you don't, you know, monday, the boat in just

a little. i think it will be spotted on the, on the a will probably not walk because that's the problem. because b with over onto the retreat you took it for you or i don't know who's so you got it well, but if you use that to use for this war is the want to walk. to grandma's you from this part of the summer alley, you how do these various types of attacks and the types of kidnappings that have been going on? how have they impacted schools and students in different communities and how have

these attacks impacted trade routes as well? well i left, we knew right from the days of, boca her all until now schools have been the targets. we know schools have been attacked in the past and we know how much schools and presently are being attacked . students get now as we speak. now, there are students, so from back to school in kaduna that i have been in t v t for probably 3 months going to 4 months or so. a school for and the slimy, a school which is so that they are just like kindergarten that were taken away and they were in captivity for, for more than 3 months. nobody could even pay the ransom and get them out. they were there for several months. some of them died there as we speak,

there are schools that there are students are from the one a institution, kind of like the name that we're good now i'm done. they were did. they are still there as we speak. so it is a major problem. when you send your children to school, you get worried, what is going to happen to them? they get killed where they get now, a number of students of the university is on their way to university. on their way to school university troops are so kind of a school trips they gets weighed by the screaming us and taking away a number of times, bombs go off and they get to. and so we remember the book story and i did actually story is what happens in the case of book and, and just not a city. so what i find very difficult to understand is why just cleaning us are doing this. i can schools, but then when you look at each booker,

i'm really succeeded in number of years book or how was trying to write is currently name on the world map. it could have sucks it even after one been do you and built in. but then it's succeeded easily by getting into the book. so school by i take your school by me can schools and students victims. i think that you can easily draw international attention. so school, it's very easy to understand why schools can be affected, and in terms of treat economy, i'm not, has been affected significantly. ah, business, this have been cripples particularly this time us nicholas have best. most of the time they will have to pay taxes in cause of their money goes on. then when they can look at it, when it, if they're unable to pay those taxes, it means the whole of the clubs that have been that i g for harvesting. they get

wished it under that means there is no crops for the next bar, ceiling to being sold and her loan money is wasted. and in business roots are blocked completely. because when you on the way you try to travel, you get, i end up in their hands and these are my right people. yeah, this is other you happen in or are you, i'm honest, i'm so sorry to interrupt you. again. we are starting to run out of time lama. my last question to you. i want to talk for a moment about the survivors of these attacks of the most recent attack in some flora and previous attacks as well. do we know how many people have been left homeless, or are they able to receive the necessary help and aid that they need me? just how traumatized are these populations by what they've been through. i mean, the population is highly traumatized and we are talking about children who have spent months. i'd be handled at the hands or, or if it be middles, some goes,

i read in the name or force marriage and then when they return back to the communities, there is hardly any social, i mean, psychosocial support or mental support that is given to them. we also know that in just one step on part us did that, about 700000 internally displaced people, and that is no come to shelter them northward nor meditation. and so people are just sleeping on the roadside and motto, garrett is, i mean it's human beings shouldn't be snipping, especially in this by, by to winter. and so you have that. but schools about 500 schools and i now shut down in some paradise. no primary school was the country school that has opened in the last 5 months. but the same thing is it is because across either north west, it's where our schools be shut down and in the northeastern part of nigeria. and so that you didn't, children, especially more than that, you didn't,

children i left behind when other children across the world. and in that julia, i getting educated, you know, i'm, i'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have run out of time. so we're going to have to leave the conversation there . thank you so much to all of our guest, mike at your, for plumber mccarty and ali mussa and thank you to for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter or handle is at a j inside story for me. mm hm. mm hm. jerome and the whole team here, bye for now. ah,

a this city of cobble has experience so much upheaval for decades and they says another change to get used to and one that's boss from easy about a situation. and now it's not clear that all the people are just lost and confused . there are deep rooted fears about the erosion of basic rights in particular for women and girls, despite assurances from the taliban and about to return to cruel punishments for certain crimes. everybody will be safe, nobody's kid will be kidnapped again for ransom. now together that feeling, they weigh full weight into that and you, reality intelligence and playful authors are in high demand, is pets in japan, but concerns are going over the illegal smuggling and irresponsible breeding of these wild animals. 11 east investigates on old zebra.

ah, algebra with hello, i'm emily anglin, into these are the top stories on al jazeera, what health organization is warning, the omi con variance is expected to infect more than half of europe population. within the next 6 to 8 weeks, governments are being urged to prioritize vaccinations, including booster shots that be choices 7000000 new european cases of micron were detected in the 1st week of january alone. while 20000000 people in china and now confined to their homes. as a 3rd city is placed under lockdown to stem the spread of corona virus.