Jonathan urges Boko Haram to state demands

Nigerian president says government will engage in "dialogue" if Boko Haram identify themselves and state clear demands.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has challenged Boko Haram to identify themselves and state clearly their demands as a basis for talks.

"If they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason why we are resisting, this is the reason why we are confronting government or this is the reason why we destroy some innocent people and their properties ... then there will be a basis for dialogue," said Jonathan on Thursday.

"We will dialogue, let us know your problems and we will solve your problem but if they don't identify themselves, who will you dialogue with?"

In an interview with Reuters at the presidential villa in the capital Abuja, Jonathan said there was no doubt that Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group, had links with jihadist groups outside Nigeria.

The group killed more than 500 people last year and more than 250 in the first weeks of 2012 in gun and bomb attacks in Africa's top oil producer, Human Rights Watch said this week.

Al Jazeera English