Joint Statement on CoVID-19 Pandemic in India: Review of Current Strategy and the Way Forward

A Joint Task Force of eminent public health experts of India was constituted by IPHA, and IAPSM to help the Government of India for containment of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The terms of reference of the Joint Task Force was to 1) To review and collate the scientific epidemiological literature pertaining to COVID-19 in India at national and state level; 2) To develop consensus amongst the experts regarding COVID-19 disease epidemiology and trends and develop action plan based on the consensus; 3) To widely disseminate the consensus statement and action plan with public health experts, other medical professional associations and other key stakeholders; 4) To share the consensus statement with the policy makers at highest level at centre and state.

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STRATEGY OF CIVILIAN JOINT TASK FORCE MILITIA IN COMBATING BOKO HARAM IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

International Journal of Legal Studies ( IJOLS ) ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.3126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 345-360

Author(s):

Modu Lawan Gana

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Northern Region ◽

Study Data ◽

Boko Haram ◽

Intelligence Gathering ◽

Joint Task ◽

Joint Task Force ◽

The Government ◽

Inclusive Governance

Since 2013, the northern region of Nigeria has witnessed the unprecedented mobilization of militia group Civilian Joint Task Force to aid combating the Islamic fundamentalist Boko Haram. The participation of the militia was reportedly successful in routing the insurgent. Before the CJTF, Boko Haram defied most of the counterinsurgency measures of the government including the military and the political approaches. However, despite the successes of the CJTF, the strategy that influences the successes was not adequately known. This article, therefore, investigated the strategy of the CJTF that influences its successes. The study was conducted using a qualitative method designed in a case study. Data were collected from thirteen informants through in-depth interviews supported by non-participant observation. The finding shows that CJTF is a kind of informal self-defense group that emerged in response to the inadequate protections by the State. The combating successes of the group were influenced by the information-centric approach of its campaign. Careful intelligence gathering and procession along with the sociocultural linkage of the participants and in-depth knowledge over the physical terrain emerged influential to the groups’ combating. The article recommended that the Nigerian government should re-strategize its existing conventional counterinsurgency approach to adapt to the population-centric paradigm. The government should also adopt palliative measures of promoting sustainable counter-insurgency that should focus on inclusive governance, accountability, and addressing socio-economic issues of poverty and unemployment with all levels of seriousness rather than sticking to the security-only campaign.

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Is Samoa Prepared for an Outbreak of COVID-19?

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/1010539520927283 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 101053952092728

Author(s):

Lawal Olatunde Olayemi ◽

Ramona Boodoosingh ◽

Filipina Amosa-Lei Sam

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Task Force ◽

World Health ◽

Health Measures ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Joint Task ◽

The Pacific ◽

Joint Task Force ◽

Health Organization ◽

Imminent Threat

The global pandemic of COVID-19 poses a public health danger to the Pacific island countries. Due to the imminent threat of the SARS-COV-2, the World Health Organization in collaboration with other regional stakeholders had initiated a joint task force on epidemic preparedness and management. Since Samoa is a tourism destination in the south pacific, it is highly prone to an outbreak of COVID-19 if stringent public health measures and regulations are not enforced. This article, thus, highlights different opinions and various stand points regarding epidemic preparedness and emergency response in case there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in Samoa.

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Militia Participation in Counterinsurgency: The Impetus of Civilian Joint Task Participation in Combating Boko Haram in Nigeria

RUDN Journal of Political Science ◽

10.22363/2313-1438-2019-21-3-460-469 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 460-469

Author(s):

Modu Lawan Gana

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Government Officials ◽

Boko Haram ◽

The Public ◽

The North ◽

Joint Task ◽

Depth Interview ◽

Joint Task Force ◽

The Government

Since 2013, the north of Nigeria has witnessed an increased involvement of the militia group ‘Civilian Joint Task Force’ (CJTF) in combating the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram. The mobilization of the Civilian Joint Task Force brought a tremendous success to the counterinsurgency operation. Before the CJTF’s engagement, the antiterrorism efforts of the government were marred by negligent performance. In addition to helping decrease the attack frequencies and number of fatalities caused by the insurgent group, the militia succeeded in expelling Boko Haram fighters from the towns and villages they had previously occupied. However, the unprecedented participation of the Civilian Joint Task Force in the counterinsurgency campaign has raised certain suspicions of the public in regards to the CJTF’s ulterior motives. This paper, therefore, explores the motives that triggered people’s participation in the Civilian Joint Task Force with the aim to combat the Boko Haram insurgent group. The current paper is a qualitative research, designed as a case study. The empirical data were collected by means of an in-depth interview involving 13 respondents, among who were the members of the CJTF, community leaders and government officials in Yobe State, Nigeria. The findings show that people’s participation in the CJTF is voluntary, with the main motivation being the necessity to defend the community due to the state’s failure to provide adequate protection. The article points out an urgent need to demobilize and deradicalize the participants in order to prevent the CJTF from further jeopardizing local communities’ peace and stability.

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Militia Counterinsurgency: Perspective on the Motivations of Civilian Joint Task Force Militia Participation in Northern Nigeria

RUDN Journal of Public Administration ◽

10.22363/2312-8313-2020-7-2-124-134 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 124-134

Author(s):

Modu Lawan Gana

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Islamic State ◽

Boko Haram ◽

Economic Interests ◽

Lake Chad ◽

The People ◽

Joint Task ◽

Joint Task Force ◽

The Government

Since the year 2013, Nigeria’s northeastern region epicenter of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency waging war for the establishment of an Islamic State has witnessed mass participation of people in a civil militia group. The militia group colloquially describing itself Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was formed to combat the Boko Haram rebellion. Perhaps, the participation of the CJTF in the combating activities was reportedly influential in reducing the Boko Haram hostilities in most communities. Prior to the CJTF, the counterinsurgency approaches of the Nigerian governments’ Special Joint Task Force and the Multinational Joint Task Force of the Member States of Lake Chad Basin Commission was faced with lackadaisical performances. Whereas the CJTF was reportedly successful, however, the interrupted participation of the people despite the attendant human and material cost has risen suspicion among the population and the critical literature about the groups’ true motivation. This article, therefore, investigated the motivations of the CJTF in northeastern Nigeria. The study was conducted through a qualitative approach designed in a case study. The data was collected from thirteen informants from three groups - CJTF, Community Leaders and State/Local Government authorities. The technique of data collection is in-depth interviews and non-participant observation. The finding revealed personal incentive factors of monetary/material gains, and the futuristic interest of employability drives peoples’ participation. To address the economic interests of the CJTF and as a panacea to prevent the manifestation of the security threats associated with the CJTF group, the study recommends for the establishment of charity centers to receive contributions from well to do citizens to ameliorate the economic needs of the participants. The government should also propound strong legal mechanisms to regulate the activities of the CJTF militia.

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