thousands of people took part in a rally against boko haram in cameroon today. march was intended to educate people about the threat that boko haram has become. early this morning, cameroon chad and niger joined nigeria in fighting boko haram. six months since last summer's war in gaza. neighbors there are in ruins. the united nations has raised billions but many say they have received nothing but broken promises. nick sheeve written with our special report. rebuilding gaza. >> reporter: today in gaza the ruins of homes are children's playgrounds. factory floors are filled with destroyed machinery. the only power plant storage tanks are a crumpled heap and the damage the destruction, the devastation has obliterated entire neighborhoods. gaza has never been well off, but today, it's perhaps worse off than ever. the fear is that could lead to another war. >> why hasn't your family been able to rebuild? >> all building materials, according to our abilities, we can't get. >> part of the problem is poverty. a government teacher only received 60 percent of his salary

some have ended up in regee camps in cameroon.ned now on the phone from the northern city by antonio antonio gutierrez. give us your assessment of the situation on the ground. >> i think unfortunately they are fleeing to a country that is receiving them their doors and hearts are open to the people. but that doesn't mean that they are well. we are, as a matter of fact facing not only a nigerian crisis but a regional crisis. [ inaudible ] cameroon more than 100,000 people already displaced. and this is where the international community needs to step up. expressing strong solidarity to the cameroonian people and the cameroonian government. they are the first line of defense and the international community [ inaudible ]. >> we understand you are at the refugee camp in northern cameroon. tell us what is happening there. and what your u.n. teams are doing. >> well, yes, more than 40,000 are in the camp. the others are in the local community, and other groups still at the border, and again, thanks to the cameroonian government it is pos

. >> military from nigeria, cameroon niger and chad forced fighters from their bases. the nigerian military took back many towns and villages from the fighters but face resistance from boko haram. the group has stepped up its attacks on bus stations. this is causing a lot of concern among nigerians, who witnessed such bumps before in other areas. >>> boko haram has waged a 6-year war to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. many victims have been children in july 2013. 42 children killed when boko haram stormed dormitories in a bomb attack. in february last year gunmen killed 40 student after throwing explosives in yobbo state. the most high profile attack on a school came in april 2015. 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped by chibok. more than 200 of the girls were missing. we are joined live from the capital abuja. let's start with the kidnapped girls. the government and president jonathan goodluck have been criticized for failing to recover the girls. jonathan goodluck has been slammed for comment made about the girls, condemned as tasteless tasteless. >> absolu

we'll see they have attacked cameroon chad, as well as niger. other strategic reason of course is economic. much of the trade and africa's biggest economy has been stifled by years of boko haram activity. so there is little flow of goods and services from nine year i can't in to these three -- nigh year i can't in no these three countries. >> over the weekend we saw boko haram pledge allegiance to isil specifically asking for foreign fighters to go to nigeria and fight with boko haram. do you think that is urging not only nigeria but all the making states to really ramp up the pressure boko haram? >> reporter: a lot of them are really concerned that probably isil or fighters affiliated with isil will do to nigeria and join bocaboko haram in its fight and expansion in to territories i don't understand nigeria. i spoke to a government official a short while ago and said as a nigh areanigerian he is worried and the government is worried that boko haram may try to gain the support of isil in its fight. but he's confident that the military the region

towns and villages liberated from the fighters since chad and niger joined efforts from niger and cameroons to fight the group. the defeat in boko haram is crucial, five years of violence has cut the trade between them in africa's biggest economy and also the fear the group if left uncheck will expand area of control and be a bigger threat to the entire region. in niger troops it would crush boko haram in the last five years and say they are now in a position to do so. >> we are now adequately equipped. there is a real change in the game. we have taken delivery of the game changers and as promised by the force and letter by the head of the president himself, we have been taking delivery of new equipment and one is what you see right behind me there and this is for boko haram and before this it was a defensive operation but now we are on the offensive. >> reporter: military in february asked for six weeks to clear the northeast of boko haram to pay way for elections but the coordinated offensive against boko haram forced the group to resort to the old tactic of side bombing, over the weeken

this is around the area and cameroon, that has been bad hit by boko haram. over the last few years. in the last few months it has gotten worse. fighters have a race to the border in some areas and go across into niger and cameroon, and what we are seeing now is a robust chadian military and a military from niger, that is trained to deal with this, really trying to go in at the same time as nigerian military is pushing itself. >> boko haram is - has been blamed for four separate suicide bombs, killing 54 people wounding another 140, and pledging allegiance to i.s.i.l. the people you speak to, especially on the ground. do they believe this is a response from boko haram, based on what the multinational group has been doing recently. there's a belief that there is no real connection between boko haram and i.s.i.l. i spoke to officials responsible for training some of these armies to fight boko haram, and it's official that there's no evidence of any link between boko haram and i.s.i.l. the fear is that boko haram will reach out to groups like i.s.i.l., such assist al qaeda, to operate i

this is around the lake chad area and cameroon, badly hit by boko haram over the last few years. in the last few months it's worse. boko haram fighters have basically erased the border if some areas and go across and what we see now is a rob oft chadian military and from niger, they are trained to deal with this, going in at the same time as nigeria military is pushing. >> boko haram has been blamed for four suicide bombs killing 54 people wounding 143 and pledging allegiance to i.s.i.l. is that a response particularly in response to what has happened recently. >> there's no real connection between boko haram and i.s.i.l. i spoke to some of the officials responsible for training boko haram: the fear is that boko haram will reach out to groups such as i.s.i.l., such is al qaeda, to operate in northern africa, for weapons, for training and ideology. what people on the ground tell me this is about the failure to defeat boko haram, when it could have been defeated or the failure to go after boko haram with enough weapons that nigeria soldiers tell me we didn't have, with political wi

for chad, niger and cameroon defeat from boko haram is crucial. 5 years of violence, and it is the biggest economy. if group, if unchecked, will expand their area of control and become a bigger area. if nigeria troops won, they would crush the area in five years. >> we are adequately equipped. we have taken delivery of the game changes, and a promise and letter by the president himself, we have taken delivery of new equipment, which is what you are seeing behind me there, and we can use them against boko haram. before the weapons, it was a defensive operation. now we are on the offensive. the military asked for six weeks to pave way for the elections. the group has been forced to resort to old tactics. over the weekend attacks on maiduguri, blamed on the group, killed more than 50, and injured more than 100. hours after, the group's leader pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l., as a desperate attempt to draw i.s.i.l. into its operations. friday, the creation of a regional force to combat the group was used. this is expected to strengthen the effort of the multinational task force taking on boko h

we are seeing how over the last few months it has attacked cameroon and launched attacks in niger andart of chad. so these are actually worried about the fight expanding to their own side of the border. >> as you say, we have seen a number of nigeria's neighbors commit troops to the fight against boko haram but decided that regional effort though akmed, boko haram attacks are still continue can. >> exactly. the reason why this is happening is that the group has been allowed to fester a long time. it has expanded the area of operation. it initially started with the fighting nigerian forces and then started going in to cities far away from its area of operations in the northeast states like borno, it wasn't until two years ago, they launched attacks in neighboring parts of the northeast in the neighboring state taking territories from the nigerian security forces. over time, boko haram was able to build stronger army or fighting bates to take on nigerian forces. >> that's why we have seen them take a lot of territory from nigeria and try to occupy some so basically, the opportunity they

this is around the lake chad area along with cameroon that has been so badly hit by boko haram over theer the last few months it has gotten much worse. boko haram fighters have basically erased the borders and easily go across into niger and chad and cameroon and what we see now is a very robust chaddian military and a military from niger being trained to deal with this really trying to go in at the same time as nigerian military is pushing itself. >> boko haram has been blaimentd forblamedfor four suicide bombings, pledging their allegiance to i.s.i.l. do they think it's a response from boko haram based osh on what this multinational group has been able to do recently? >> many people feel there's no real connection between boko haram and i.s.i.l. it's official, says there's no evidence of any link between boko haram and i.s.i.l. but the fear is that boko haram will reach out to groups such as i.s.i.l, such as al qaeda who operate in northern africa for weapons for training in fact even for ideology. what people on the ground tell me is that this is about the failure to defeat boko hara

they tried to expand into cameroon. we have seen how they attacked positions in chad and 23450i year i can't. the neighbors are worried this fight or expansionist policy may expand to them as time goes on. >> we have seen a number of neighbors commit troops to the fight against boko haram. despite this regional effort, the boko haram attacks are still continuing. >> mainly because this group has been allowed by nigeria and neighbors. they thought this is nigeria's war, their own problem. all of the sudden, boko haram became stronger in the sense that they have captured more territory and are launching attacks far away in far away places at the capital, abuja and beyond. they started to keep territories to itself and expand into chad krameroon and other places. they have established a lot of training camps in nigeria and parts of cameroon and succeeded in recruiting fighters from nigeria, mali, chad niger and camaroon. they have a lot of manpower sat their disposal and resources was seen and capturing weapons from the ni

says an decisional 15,000 fleeing have arrived in cameroon bringing the numbers to more than 60,000. >> in zimbabwe the 2015 tobacco selling season got off to a chaotic start with farmers protesting against low prices. antiriot police were called in to restore order. prices were down from last year. >> waving tok abbingo leaves the farmers feel they are not being paid enough. protests broke out at the beginning of the season. >> we find that it goes maybe, they are getting it, they gen fit themselves. >> riot police had to be brought in to restore order. there's a feeling that the farmers that do the work are offered an unfair price. tobacco is a major industry. many depend on it for their livelihoods. auction ears say prices have to do with rains, and it is having a knock-on effect. it's not just the price. buyers will need some complain that not enough help is being given by the government. al jazeera spoke to a government official saying the government being felt with. >> there are plans under way to assist with the technology to harness the water in their areas. >> after inspecti

on saturday the african union agreed to a force of 8,000 troops with contingents from cameroon and benin. >> for nigeria's neighbors the fight against boko haram has taken a new urgency operation from chad and niger in the group is underway. the objective is to push the fighters into a corner against the expected final onslaught. so far more than 30 towns and villages have been liberated from the fighters. five years of violence has kept affected africa's biggest economy. and there is also a fear that if the group left unchecked will become a bigger threat in the entire region. they have tried to crush boko haram in the last five years now say they're in position to do so. >> there is a real change. we've taken the liberty of the game changer. we've been taking the liberty of new equipment, one of which you see right behind me there and this was a defensive operation. >> the military in february asked for six weeks to clear boko haram to pave way for elections. but it has forced the group to go to the old tactic of suicide-bombing. over the weekend attacks in maiduguri blamed on the grou

there's the cameroon-nigeria front. we are open to two friends. >> troops have been leading the fight on nigerian territory retaking two cities. until now, they had mostly done it by themselves. four countries have now sent troops to combat boko haram in nigeria. last friday the african union endorsed 10,000 to fight against boko haram. they are waiting for united nations approval and hopefully for financial support. >> barack obama has slammed republicans over a letter they sent to the leaders of iran, warning that a nuclear deal could be scrapped by the next president. they include several potential presidential candidate said any deal is nothing more than an executive agreement between him and the supreme leader. >> pushing back against the u.s. congress president obama has criticized several dozen republican senators, accusing them of interfering with ongoing nuclear talks. an open letter has been signed in which they warn the next resident could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen. >> i thin

for chad, niger and cameroon, defeating boko haram is crucial. there is also the fear that the group if left unchecked will expand its area of control and become a bigger threat. nigeria which is unable to crush boko haram for the past five years says it now has the hardware for a military victory. >> our government have taken the steps long enough to ensure the victory. the decision would still be facing even is we now have the equipment at this time. ftc. >> reporter: the military asked in february for six weeks to clear the northeast but forced the old tactic of suicide bombing. the attacks on maiduguri. >> peaceful country to that extent yes. but to the extent my country would be taken over by insurgents and a group of people of the nature we are talking about i am not worried. we have good armed forces that can make it through. >> reporter: many here want a quick victory before i.s.i.l. comes in. regional force of more than 8,000 troops to combat boko haram. this is expected to strengthen the effort of the multinational force already taking

i mean you simply can't send troops into northern nigeria and cameroon. don't have enough troops. we don't have enough troops to go into libya where isis is spreading, at least people that swear allegiance to it. it's in parts of nigeria. we're not sending troops into syria. i think ultimately this movement will collapse, but in the meantime baghdadi is portraying himself as the defender of sunni islam, so everywhere you see a political vacuum you see them at the very least, you know, getting a political propaganda. look at yemen where there are groups swearing allegiance and that's because there's a huge power vacuum there. some force, local force, needs to fill this vacuum and it will crush the islamic state or isis or isil, whatever you want to call it. but it will take time. but not with american troops. >> chris. >> not with american troops but isis loves a vacuum and all these groups are. the nigerian army is weak. boko haram took advantage of it. the chatti army moved in kick the ass of isis. when isis is up against a real army it will fight, it ma

they made in roads established training camps and they recruit add lot of young men from nigeria, cameroon and chad and niger. there is a lot going on. boko haram fighters are in many nigerian cities. from time to time, you see them exploding devices, and attacking military or police formations in states. basically, nigeria and these countries are waking up to the treatment to boko haram has been allowed to fester for a very long time and this is becoming a serious problem for them to deal with. >> thank you. >> the announcement to pledge allegiance to isil came hours after three female suicide bombers killed more than 50 in a series of coordinated attacks. we have more now. >> another bloody day in northern nigeria. these are victims of the latest attacks by suspected boko haram fighters. medical workers struggle to save those they can a scene that has now become a routine in the north. dozens have been killed in three coordinated attacks in a city now home to more than a million people displaced by boko haram violence. >> the dead are in the morgue and injured being treated. there were r

for niger chad and cameroon, defeating boko haram is crucial. five years of fighting has cut off trade against he them from the africa's biggest economy bigger threat to the entire region. in nigerian troops wanted to crush boko haram in the last five years say they are now in a position to do so. >> we are now adequately equipped. we have taken delivery of the game-changers. and from the president himself. we have been taking delivery of new equipment one of which what you have seen right behind me right there. and we are planning to defeat boko haram. before this level it was a defensive operation but now we are on the offensive. >> the military had in february asked for six weeks to clear the northeast of boko haram. to pave way for elections. but according to the offensive against boko haram has forced the group to killed more than 50 and injured more than 100. just hours after the group's leader pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l, a move mentioned by the nigerian military as a desperate act. regional force of 8,000 troops is expected to strength

for chad niger and cameroon defeating boko haram is crucial.ars of violence is africa's biggest economy and the fear that the group if left unchecked will expand area of control and be a bigger threat to the entire region. in nigeria which is unable to crush boko haram for the past five years says it now has hardware for a military victory. >> our government has taken the steps long enough to ensure that it could arrive at this moment and at the time it did, take the decision and are facing a lot of the approach and now have the equipment at the time. >> reporter: military asked in february for six weeks to clear the northeast of boko haram fighters for elections to be held. but the coordinated offensive against boko haram forced the group to resort to old tactic of suicide bombing. over the weekend attacks in the cities killed more than 50 and injured another 100. the group's leader has also placed allegiance to i.s.i.l. and causing serious concern in the region especially nigeria. >> i want a peaceful country and to that extent yet but to the

it was thought to be a major nigerian problem until boko haram started expressing its ideas into cameroon, establishing base he there. of recent last month and early this month we have seen how boko haram fighters attacked positions inside chad. >> has that given fight against them more impetus? is there fear that boko haram could gain more support because of this pledge of allegiance? >> exactly. these four countries are actually worried that i.s.i.l. may come to fight on the side of boko haram in nigeria. and this is given them more impetus like you said, and more sense of timing, to finish up what they started, if they can as quickly as possible, before this thing escalate into a wider regional probably an african problem. because of the interest of i.s.i.l. into the fight by boko haram. so a lot of people are concerned here.and there is thishere. and there's this sense of urgency, to defeat boko haram before the elections on march 28th this year. so all the countries in the region are actually worried that if boko haram finally succeed in getting i.s.i.l. to fight on its own side that

a military group by forces from nigeria, cameroon, niger and chad forced the fighters from their bases. the nigerian military took back downs and villages. they still face resistance from boko haram. now the group stepped up attacks on soft targets and this is causing a lot of concern among nigerians who witnessed such bombings >>> a journalist for the vanguard newspaper says that many people in nigeria have always seen boko haram as a group with global links. >> i'd say, strangely, that people are not that surprised - at least the people i have spoken to. yesterday i interviewed some refugees from the north-east victims of boko haram who had to fully homes in borneo state, maiduguri and others and they have a few as app organization that is affiliated to organizations. it was thought that boko haram had sponsorship relationships. for a lot of people. this is a confirmation of what they suspected or knew intuitively >>> now, to mali where a united nations peacekeeper and two civilians have been killed on an attack on a misty upham base. -- u.n. base. witnesses say gunmen fired. >>> a s

>> regional neighbors fightback chad and cameroon send soldiers into nigeria. >>> and is there a chance for a cease-fire in aleppo. >>> and i wanted to free the fighting in aleppo province, then it was just the city. now it's limited to the district. we reject him as an u.n. leader and we reject his initiative. >> students protest in myanmar against a new law that they say is stifling academic freedom. >> it started as one country's fight against an armed group now they've joined in the battle against boko haram and they've already pushed the armed group out from the border. it was after chad and my year's campaign that include attacks from both the ground and the united forces retaking the town of captured by boko haram fighters in november. we have the latest from the nigerian border. >> reporter: they have agreed that the town of damasak has been arrested from boko haram control. troops from chad and my niger went into the area and arrested control of the down of damasak. they're continue to go other areas as we speak. sources say that the battle between the two sides have been fierc

the issue in niger and chad and cameroon have been involved must always bring in the issue about electionseing won at that time. >> about the battle being won before the election. >> exactly. >> so we're talking about as nick was saying these suggestion that these people were doing the covert work if you would like they were operating at night and the military was coming in daylight hours. suggestions too they are flying helicopters and gun ships. >> that is most likely true. [ inaudible ] doesn't have the expertise to undergo such battles, but [ inaudible ] foreign countries on expertise that they don't have the technical abilityies to go out and do themselves. >> is this something that could be used against goodluck jonathan? the fact that he is employing outsiders, or will people say, look i'm glad he is doing everything he can. >> how can you criticize somebody who is trying to curtail a situation that could possibly spread to other countries. and sadly, he can't do it by himself, so he needs the help of others, and successes have been recorded in various states and there is visible pr

to chad niger and cameroon recapturing the trades is crucial. there's the fear for the economy, and that the group, if left unchecked will expand its area under control and become a bigger threat to the region. and nigeria, which has been unable to crash boko haram says it has the hardware for a military victory. >> our government has taken the steps long enough to ensure equipment arrives. they take the decision and the challenge. because of the nature of the approach, we have the equipment at this time. >> the military asked in february for six weeks to clear the north-east to boko haram fighters for elections to be held. the offensive against boko haram forced the group to resort to the old tactic of suicide bombing. attacks killed more than 50 and injured 100. the group's leader placed allegiance to i.s.i.l., and this is causing concern in the region especially nigeria. >> to the extent that my country will be taken over by incidents and a group of people i'm not worried. >> many here want a quick victory before groups like i.s.i.l. come in.

approved the ree sayings of a regional -- regional force of 8,000 soldiers with continge ents from cameroon and niger. >> reporter: the recapture of this town is a huge victory for forces especially chad and niger, countries targeted. the coalition forces reclaimed more than 30 towns and village. for chad and niger, defeating boko haram is crucial. five years of violence it is africa's biggest economy. there's the fear that the group, will expand on area of control and become a bigger threat to the entire region. nigeria, which was unable to clush boko haram says it now has hardware for a military victory. our government has ensured that the equipment arrived. by the time it did, we are facing more challenges vut of the approach we -- as a result of the approach we have the equipment. >> the military asked for six weeks to clear the way for boko haram fighters. the offensive against boko haram, forced the group to resort to old tactics of suicide bombing, over the weekend attacks killed more than 50, and injured 100. the group's leader pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l. and this is causing seri

. >> yes the last few weeks they've had some form of cooperation from niger chad and cameroon, and they recaptureed territory formerly being held by boko haram. but boko haram fighters are coming into the urban areas while they follow people who have been graced by affected by those attacks. we've seen more and more suicide-bombers. >> and the people of maiduguri have seen these attacks before. they must be growing tired of the violence ahmed. >> absolutely i spoke earlier and they said, look, we've seen this before. wethis is just another phase and things will quiet down and we'll get back to our businesses. people are becoming more and more numb, and people who have need the areas of maiduguri have been attacked several times by bombings by armed boko haram. >> ahmed idris in abuja, thank you. >> now in attacks interest killed five people. there are reports that a french citizen and belgium national are among the dead. two people have been arrested. >>> isil fighters have destroyed parts of the 2,000-year-old city of hatra in northern iraq. this is the second such incident in northern

cameroon, and chad - boko haram has attacked them also. they'll say they are defending their territory, and we cooperate with them. as they have said about the others the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere. these are trainers so i think they have the story down. >> boko haram has emerged as a major security threat to nigeria. it's killed thousands of people over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. the group pledged aleej onlies to i.s.i.l. calling on supporters to fight in africa. >> the government insists it has recruited soldiers. it has the support of african union, a regional force. as the nation heads towards general elections some say the government's use of mercenaries is a push for security that will translate into votes. >>> libya's prime minister arrived in the northern sri lankan city of jaffna. it is the first indian leader to visit the stronghold. they were defeated in the civil war, narendra modi met leaders of the tamil alliance in the capital. and they are joined from

military forces from nigeria, cameroon and chad forced fighters from their bases. the nigerian villages took back towns and villages but they face resistance. the group stepped up attacks, and this is causing a lot of concern among mainlying earians who witness said such bombings before >>> iraqi troops battling i.s.i.l. liberated a town on the edge of tikrit and have been trying to advance on nearby towns. fighting slowed progress. more on the battle for tikrit. it's been ongoing for days still the fighting conditions. here members of shia fighting i.s.i.l. positions. they are part of a force trying to recapture the town. a top u.s. general says the force is 23,000, compared with hundreds. friday backed by missile strikes, they entered the southern outskirts of tikrit and in some errors they fight for every block. elsewhere there are reports that i.s.i.l. fighters destroyed this place, the ancient archeological site of hatra in the north-west of iraq. they have used expressives and bulldozers to pull down the u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage site. it comes days after i

they say that the neighbouring armies niger, cameroon and chad - boko haram has them also. they'll say they are defending their territory, and we just cooperate. and as they say, the foreigners from south africa. these are training - trainers. they have their story down. >> they emerged as a major threat. >> it's killed thousands over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state. the group called on support to avco. nigeria's government insists it has no need to confront boko haram, but has the support of the african union leading a regional force, but as the nation heads to general elections, some say the government use of mercenaries is a push to translate into votes >>> a forest fire in chile forced more than 4,000 from their homes. a state emergency has been declared. the fire started in an area of grassland and pine forest. warm temperatures and strong winds fanned the flames and the blaze spread destroying around 500 hectares of land. supporters of the president marched in several cities. president dilma rousseff and her allies have been accused of i

. >> reporter: forces from cameroon, niger and chad forced the fighters from their bases. the nigerian military took back downs and villages. they face resistance from boko haram. the group has stepped back attacks. this is causing a lot of concern among nigerians who witnessed such things before >>> a columnist for vanguard, a nigerian newspaper and said many people have seen boko haram as an armed group with global links. >> i say strangely, people are not that surprised - at least the people i have spoken to. yesterday i interviewed some refugees from the north-east victims of boko haram who fled from borno, maiduguri, and, you know they have a few of boko haram as a global - as an organization that is affiliated to organisations outside anyway. nigerians thought that boko haram had the external relationships. for a lot of people this is a confirmation of what they suspected or kind of knew intuitively >>> breaking news from mali. we are getting word that a u.n. peacekeeper has been killed and two citizens on an attack on the northern mali town of dahl. witnesses say th

. >> well, the nigerian arm in conjunction with their neighbors of cameroon and shad have chad have retaken areas in the north northeastern of the country and they've pushed boko haram fighters into maidugri, where you have refugees in those areas taking refugee in the city. so basically you can't isolate incidents like this when you have so may be people with questionable character coming in to the city, targeting civilians and the military as well. people think that most of the people who are carrying out these attacks may be boko haram fighters re recaptured, and who have fled into the city of maidu maiduguri. >> thank you. reports of isil fighters destroy destroyed ancient remains of a 2,000-year-old city. >> another ancient city destroyed. this one hatra south of mosul. on the list of world heritage sites it was on that list because it's a unique confluence of greco-roman and you could see it in the walls that still remained. even people who don't follow archaeology knew that city from the "exorcist," which was shot there. that fight begins isil is proving difficult. iraqi military for

welcome to cameroon and miliband live. tonight will be the debate between two men, one of whom will be the next prime minister. david cameron and ed miliband are the only people with a genuine chance of forming the next government. tonight, we will see what they're made of. kay burley: over the next 90 minutes both men will face jeremy head-to-head and also answer the questions of our studio audience. david cameron will be interviewed by jeremy, then join me to take questions from our audience. after that ed miliband will face questions from the studio and we finish with his head-to-head with jeremy. so let's get to it. the elections start here and now. first off, the prime minister and leader of the conservative party, david cameron. [applause] jeremy paxman: david cameron, do you know how many food banks were in this country when you came to power? prime minister cameron i don't have exact figures but i know they use the fuji -- the banks have gone up in their many amazing volunteers to man those of banks and provide an

. >> cameroon, and you have boko haram who is specifically against education. >> specifically againsttern education. >> yes. >> what can you - what can u.n.i.c.e.f. do? >> there's a short answer, our best. of course that requires resources - human and financial. we have expanded considerably over the last couple of years. all of our resources very to raise every year, even though we are a u.n. agency. we are raising more and more resource, but not nearly enough that we need to do. >> why are you badly underfunded? you'd thing the one thing everyone agrees on is you want children. >> sure, we are hard wired to care for our children as human being. i think the problem is, in a way, just a fatigue people are used to seeing children suffering, and people are used to seeing more suffer, and the crisis. we mustn't let it happen, it's stupid strategically, because these children are the children that will decide what the future of our world will be. so we keep trying. on a personal note i wake up in the morning, read the headlines, i see no progress. you know there'll be climate change and n

on friday the the africa union reinforced the contingent with 8,000 troops from cameroon and benin. >> security forces have confirmed that the town of damasak has been arrested from boko haram's control. troops acrossed into nigeria yesterday supported by air and ground forces and then arrested control in other areas as we speak. now sources say that the battle has been fierce and a lot of people have been killed, many fighters on the side of the boko haram have been killed. now with this development especially in the states of born o and yurba it has been shrinking. there is likelihood that boko haram will be pushed back if not defeated completely. but there is fear that boko haram will resort to its old tactic of launching gorilla guerrilla warfare. >> protest against "n" aleppo against cease-fire in the city. >> this is what the united nations was hoping to stop. but it has failed to freeze a conflict in syria's second largest city. barrel bombs have been killed hundreds of people in recent months. >> more than a million used to live in the rebel areas. now there is 300,000. there

for chad and cameroon defeating boko haram is crucial and there is also a fear the group if left uncheckedexpand its area of control and be a bigger threat to the entire region. nigerian troops crush boko haram in the last five years and says they are in a position to do so. >> we are adequately equipped for a region change begins and taken delivery of the game changers and as promised by the letter of the president himself we have taken delivery of new equipment and one of which is behind me there and this is for boko haram. before the level of this point it was a defensive operation but now we are a point of offensive. >> reporter: military in february asked for six weeks to clear the northeast of boko haram to pave way for elections. but the coordinated offensive against boko haram forced the group to go to the tactic of side bombing and attacks in the city label the group and killed more than 50 and injured more than 100, just hours after the group's leader pledged allegiance to i.s.i.l. by the military as an attempt to draw i.s.i.l. into its operations on friday the african union had

. >> the military slowed boko haram with forces from nigeria cameroon and chad and forced the fighters from their bases, taking back many towns r. towns villages, but face resistance from boko haram. now the group has stepped up attacks on soft markets like markets and bus stations causing concern among nigerians who have witnessed such attacks before. al jazeera. nigeria. >> in egypt, the trial of two al jazeera journalists. they made their third appearance in court in cairo over their alleged livings to the beened muslim brother hood. in february, mom familiar gave up his egyptian citizenship and egyptian baher mohammed were released on bail after being detained for more than a year. after leaving court they spoke of frustration with the process. >> everybody here, i think is just we're from here and respect the court but it's very unusual that the witnesses don't come twice in a row and it's, i see it as an insult to the judiciary here. it's really in legal limbo and we're caught in it. >> it's taking too much time. it's hard to get anything nowadays, because they don't have any pro

nigeria has been supported by troops from cameroon, chad. the army chief staff says they have now repelled the group from all but three local districts in the northeast at the start of the year, it controls around 20. two members of a polio vaccination team and a police officer have been shot dead. the attack in an afghan refugee camp near the city, is the latest in a string of attacks on polio workers who some accuse of trying to sterilize muslims. pakistan is one of only three countries where polio is still endemocratic. pakistan remain as major concern can because of a number of cases reported from pakistan, now in the province, immunization program is underway according to the officer in charge, there are problems but up to 754,000 children are to be given those polio drops. the story in the other province is mott so good. a number of deadly attacks on polio workers has brought that program to a grinding halt. the pakistani government will have to gear up to meet this challenge, otherwise will there be travel restrictions on pakistanis w

been a bit of too much emphasis if you like on what neighboring countries like chad and niger and cameroonoing with the group and in the past few days goodluck jonathan gave an interview and talked about the successes of nigerian military and actually vowed to defeat the group substantially within the next 2-3 weeks just ahead of elections taking place here at the end of the month. >> thank you for that that is live for us in abuja. still ahead on the program a giant in the world of fantasy literature has died and we look back at the life of terry and changing way latin american tells its own stories and we will take you to the continent's oldest. ♪ extremely wrong... >> what's the price for militarizing our police >> they killed evan dead >> faul lines, al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us... >> emmy award winning investigative series... deadly force: arming america's police only on al jazeera america >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be

explanation that his they can stick to because for one thing they say that the neighboring army, niger cameroond, boko haram has attacked them also so they'll say, look, they are defending their territory and we just couldn't with them. and as they have said about the others the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere they say these are trainers, so i think they have their story down. >> reporter: boko haram has emerged as a major security threat to nigeria and its neighbors. it's killed thousands of people over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. the group has now also pledged allegiance to isil which has called on its supporter to fight in africa. nigeria's government insists it has no need to unlawfully recruit soldiers to confront boko haram. it always has the support of the african union. but as the nations head it's a push to scurry gains that will translate in to votes as they head towards elections. >>> egypt's government says it will build a new administrative capital just east of cairo. the housing minister says it will be built withi

they can say the neighboring armies niger cameroon and chad, boko haram has attacked them also.o they will say look, they are defending their territory and we just are cooperating with them. and as they have said about the others the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere they say these are trainers, so i think they have their story down. >> reporter: boko haram has emerged as major security threat to nigeria and its neighbors. the it's has thousands of people over the past six years in a campaign to carve out an islamic state in northern nigeria. the group has pledged allegiance to isil which has called on its supporter to fight in africa. nigeria's government insists it has no need to unlawfully recruit soldiers to confront boko haram. it already has the support of african union regional force but as the general elections move closer later this month. some say the government's use of mercenaries will translate in to votes. al jazerra. >>> al jazerra's nick schifrin is in northern eastern nigeria and has been speak to the nigerian government about the vikings against boko h

for niger chad and cameroon defeating boko haram is crucial.e years of violence has cut off much of trade against between in africa's biggest economy. the group if left up checked there is fear the group will be big become a bigger threat to the entire ying un. they say they are now in a position to fight them. >> we are now adequately he equipment. that is a real change. we have taken the liberty of the game changers and as promised by the force and a letter by the president himself. we have been taking the liberty of new equipment. one of which is what you are seeing right behind me there and we have. [ inaudible ] against boko haram. before the arrival of this weapon, it was a defensive operation, now we are on the offensive. >> reporter: the military had in february asked for six weeks to clear the northeast of boko haram to pave way for elections. but the coordinated offensive against boko haram has forced the group to result to the old tactic of suicide bombing. over the weekend attacks in cities blamed on the group killed more than 50 an

a military onslaught by forces from nigeria cameroon, niger and chad has forced the fighters from theires the nigh nigeria then military has taken towns back. but still face resistence from boko haram. now the group has stepped up its attacks on soft targets like buss and markets and this is causing a lot of concern among nigerians who have witnessed such bombings before in urban areas. mohamed idris, al jazerra abuja, nigeria. >>> the iraqi army is continuing its push to try to retake tikrit from isil. on saturday troops liberated the town just east of the city. selena downs has more on the battle for tikrit. >> reporter: it's been ongoing for days. but still the fighting continues on the edges of tikrit. here members of a shia militia target isil positions. these iranian-backed fight ears long with iraqi army soldiers are part of a force that's trying to recapture the town. the top u.s. general says that force numbers 23,000, compared with just hundreds of isil fighters. on friday, backed by missile strikes, they entered a door on tikrit's southern outskirts in, some areas they are ha

. >> the government one thing they say the neighbouring armies niger, cameroon and chad - boko haram has attacked them also. they say they are defending their territory. cooperate with them. as they have said about the others, the foreigners from south africa and elsewhere, they say they are trainers so i think they have their story down. >> boko haram emerged as a security threat to nigeria and its neighbours. it's killed thousands of people or the past six years in a campaign. the group also pledges allegiance to i.s.i.l. calling on forces to fight in afghanistana. nigeria's government insists it has no need to recruit soldiers to fight boko haram. as the nation heads towards general elections, some say the mercenaries is a push for gains translating into votes. >>> dozens of meb from the former yewing -- men from the former yugoslavia are thought to be fighting in eastern you crave. a large group of serbs on the separatist sides. a smaller number of croat are with the government forces. >> reporter: peaceful town in northern serbia on the banks of the danube. it is sat. this is wh

nigeria has been supported by troops from cameroon and chad niger, and at the start of the year, it controlled around 20 towns. >>> now, we can take you back to vanuatu. and thomas is speaking to us from the island that has been devastated by the cyclones that hit over the weekend. we hope that you can hear us, and give us a picture of the sort of devastation that you can see there. >> you said the aid wo the outlying islands, and indeed they haven't. they have a few initial accessers, and they are trying to get a picture of what sort of devastation there is here. driving around the island, we have seen the devastation. forests just stripped. and no foliage, no leaves, no nothing. the houses have been damaged in the short ride from the airport to the town, and houses that were still standing. it accounts for 15, 20, that didn't have significant demolition worthy destruction on them. this is a honeymoon island normally and it depends on tourism. the resorts have been all but wiped out. and the immediate concerns, lack of food, lack of water and the people think that they have a few days. but th