Nigeria: Militant Leader Denies Death, Again

Abubakar Shekau, leader of the militant group Boko Haram, which has started calling itself Wilayat al-Sudan al-Gharbi, is alive, according to an audio recording released on social media Aug. 16, Reuters reported. Over the past few years, the Nigerian government has repeatedly alleged that Shekau is dead, but the leader has denied the reports in a series of audio and video messages. Security sources say the videos could be staged with someone posing as Shekau. Last week, Chadian President Idriss Deby said Shekau had been replaced by Mahamoud Daoud, who was open to peace talks with government leaders.