Boko Haram

Not to be confused with Islamic State – West Africa Province.

Boko Haram
جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد
Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad
LeadersMohammed Yusuf Executed (2002–2009)
Abubakar Shekau † (2009–2021)
Sahalaba Executed (2021–2022)[1]
Bakura Doro (2022–present)[1]
Dates of operation2002–present
Allegiance Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[2]
Group(s) Ansaru (2009–2012)
HeadquartersGwoza, Borno, Nigeria (July 2009 – March 2015)[3]
Marte, Borno, Nigeria (April–September 2015)[4][5]
Sambisa Forest, Borno, Nigeria (March 2015 – May 2021)[3][4]
Chikun, Kaduna, Nigeria (September 2021 – present)[6][7]
Active regionsNigeria, northern Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Mali[8][9]
IdeologyIslamic fundamentalism
Salafi jihadism
Wahhabism
Takfirism
Anti-Westernism
Anti-Shi'ism
Anti-Christian sentiment
SizeAt least 15,000 (Amnesty International claimed, January 2015)[10]
20,000 (Chad claimed, March 2015)[11]
4,000–6,000 (United States claimed, February 2015)[12]
Part of Islamic State (2015–2016)
Allies Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (2007–2015)
Ansaru (2012–2015)
Ansar Dine (2012–2013)
MOJWA (2012–2013)
Al-Mulathameen (2013)
Opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsBoko Haram insurgency
Designated as a terrorist group bySee section
The maximum extent of Boko Haram in January 2015 shown in dark grey

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād[24] (Arabic: جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit. 'Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad'),[25] is an Islamist terrorist jihadist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali.[13] In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group was led by Abubakar Shekau from 2009 until his death in 2021, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf's death in 2009, as well as in 2015.[26] When the group was first formed, their main goal was to "purify", meaning to spread Sunni Islam, and destroy Shia Islam in northern Nigeria,[27] believing jihad should be delayed until the group was strong enough to overthrow the Nigerian government.[28] The group formerly aligned itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[29][30] The group has been known for its brutality,[31] and since the insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians. It has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children[32] and has displaced 2.3 million from their homes.[33] Boko Haram has contributed to regional food crises and famines.[31]

After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalisation led to the suppression operation by the Nigerian military and the killing of its leader Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009.[34] Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010 in Bauchi, was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets, but progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja. The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, led to an increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks.[35][26][36][37]

Of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict since May 2013, at least 250,000 left Nigeria and fled to Cameroon, Chad or Niger.[38] Boko Haram killed over 6,600 people in 2014.[39][40] The group has carried out massacres including the killing by fire of 59 schoolboys in February 2014 and mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria, in April 2014. Corruption in the security services and human rights abuses committed by them have hampered efforts to counter the unrest.[41][42]

In mid-2014, the militants gained control of swaths of territory in and around their home state of Borno, estimated at 50,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) in January 2015, but did not capture the state capital, Maiduguri, where the group was originally based.[43] On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. According to the BBC, due to internal disputes between the two groups, hundreds of terrorists left Boko Haram and formed their own organization, named "Islamic State's West Africa Province".[44][45][46] In September 2015, the director of information at the Defence Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but attacks from the group continue.[47] In 2019, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, claimed that Boko Haram was "technically defeated".[48] Shekau was killed and confirmed to be dead in May 2021.[49] Despite this, Boko Haram experienced a subsequent revival under a new leader, Bakura Doro.[50]

  1. ^ a b Crisis Group 2024, pp. 4–5.
  2. ^ "Many Jihadi Groups In Asia & Africa Pledge Allegiance To Taliban Leader, Group Sources". 9 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b Morgan Winsor (17 April 2015). "Boko Haram in Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan Rejects Help from UN Forces to Fight Insurgency". International Business Times. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b Obaji, Jr., Philip (26 May 2015). "With Help From ISIS, a More Deadly Boko Haram Makes a Comeback". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  5. ^ "We have restricted Boko Haram to Sambisa Forest – Buhari". 8 September 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  6. ^ "DSS: Boko Haram relocating from Sambisa forest to Kaduna". 15 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Leaked DSS memo shows fleeing Boko Haram terrorists are moving to Kaduna". 15 September 2021.
  8. ^ Bukarti, Bulama (12 August 2021). "The destructive militant group sowing chaos across Africa". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  9. ^ Klobucista, Claire (8 August 2018). "Nigeria's Battle With Boko Haram". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Boko Haram at a glance". Amnesty International. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Boko Haram HQ Gwoza in Nigeria 'retaken'". BBC News. 27 March 2015.
  12. ^ Hosenball, Mark (6 February 2015). "Nigeria's Boko Haram has up to 6,000 hardcore militants: U.S. officials". Reuters.
  13. ^ a b c d Bureau of Counterterrorism. "Country Reports on Terrorism 2013". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  14. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference ngrguardiannews.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference sunnewsonline.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference theguardian.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Chadian Forces Deploy Against Boko Haram". VOA. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Trials in Senegal Expose Possible Terror Sleeper Cells". 3 July 2018.
  19. ^ Беларусь попала в ТОП-20 мировых лидеров по экспорту вооружений Archived 27 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine – Военно-политическое обозрение, 1 марта 2017
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference scmp.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Egypt Pledges To Support Nigeria in Fight Against Boko Haram • Channels Television". 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Boko Haram: Egypt assures Nigeria of support – The Nation Nigeria". 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  23. ^ Andrew McGregor (8 May 2019). "Nigeria Seeks Russian Military Aid in its War on Boko Haram". Aberfoyle International Security. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Sayyid Qutb and Nearness With Rafidees: Nawab Safawi Al-Shi'iyy". www.ikhwanis.com. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Is Islamic State shaping Boko Haram media?". BBC News. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Boko Haram". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  27. ^ "Islamic Movement in Nigeria: The Iranian-inspired Shia group". BBC News. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  28. ^ Zenna, Jacob; Pierib, Zacharias (Summer 2017). "How much Takfir is too much Takfir? The Evolution of Boko Haram's Factionalization". Journal for Deradicalization (11): 291. ISSN 2363-9849. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference BokoHaramIS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram pledges allegiance to Islamic State". BBC News. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  31. ^ a b Matfess, Hilary (2017). "Boko Haram: History and Context". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.119. ISBN 978-0190277734. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Northeast Nigeria conflict killed more than 300,000 children: UN". Al Jazeera. 24 June 2021.
  33. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram Kills 49 in Suicide Bombings". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015.
  34. ^ Cook, David (26 September 2011). "The Rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria". Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019."There is no doubt that the suppression operation of 2009, and the killing of Muhammad Yusuf by Nigerian security forces in July of that year, was a turning point for Boko Haram."
  35. ^ Jack Moore (23 April 2015). "Nigerian Military Enter 'Final Stages' of Boko Haram Offensive". Newsweek. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  36. ^ "Nigerian army frees hundreds more women and girls from Boko Haram". The Guardian. London. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  37. ^ "Boko Haram crisis: Nigerian military chiefs given deadline". BBC News. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  38. ^ Michelle Nichols (25 September 2015). "U.N. appeals for help for Boko Haram displaced; Nigeria a no-show". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  39. ^ "Nigerian troops were denied guns to fight Boko Haram – Buhari". Vanguard (Nigeria). 18 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  40. ^ Rose Troup Buchanan (18 November 2015). "Isis overtaken by Boko Haram as world's deadliest terror organisation". The Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  41. ^ Glenn Kessler (19 May 2014). "Boko Haram: Inside the State Department debate over the 'terrorist' label". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference hrw report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ "Boko Haram is now a mini-Islamic State, with its own territory". The Telegraph. London. 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference longwarjournal_2016-10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Cite error: The named reference theatlantic_387235 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  46. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram pledges allegiance to Islamic State". BBC News. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  47. ^ Nnenna Ibeh (9 September 2015). "Boko Haram camps 'wiped out' – Nigerian military". Premium Times. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  48. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  49. ^ Cite error: The named reference shekaudead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  50. ^ Crisis Group 2024, pp. 1–2, 4–5.