Accordingly, the study recommends that good and inclusive governance be employed as a panacea for harmonizing the fractured nigerian state and overcoming insurgency in nigeria. A common account of the groups origin traces it to 2002, when mohammed yusuf, a charismatic preacher, became its leader. The conflict takes place within the context of longstanding issues of religious violence between nigerias muslim and christian communities, and the insurgents ultimate aim is to establish an islamic state. It will therefore look at the origin and modus operandi of boko haram and seek to answer the question as to whether we can rightly tag boko haram a terrorist group or a foreign terrorist organization using the. It argues that the struggle between political elites of northern and southern extractions over the control of state power has intensified national conflicts and insurgency in the country. Boko haram has used niger, chad, and cameroon to hide, train, plan, recruit, and transit, historically focusing attacks on nigeria to avoid crackdowns in countries where it.
Forest notes, boko haram is largely a local phenomenon, though one with strategic implications, and must be understood and addressed within its local context and the long standing grievances that motivate terrorist activity. Peace talks initiatives between the boko haram and nigerian. Boko haram faction releases book on history and ideology a flag belonging to boko haram flies from a mosque in the retaken town of damasak, nigeria, march 18, 2015 emmanuel braunreuters. Since 2009, boko haram has transformed itself from a cultlike religious movement into a revolutionary insurgent organization. The shaded area illustrates boko haram s general area of operations in 20152016. Boko haram arose out of this miasma of intramuslim conversations and competition for audiences and ideas. This comprehensive report examines boko harams extremist rhetoric, leadership, and history of violent activities.
Its stated goal is to overthrow the secular government of nigeria and replace it with an islamic system. The main pillars in the overlapping ideas in boko harams ideology, as formulated by the former leader mohammed. Understanding boko haram it is not clear when boko haram came into being. An assessment of strengths, vulnerabilities, and policy options from previous hit. The former aim to create or prepare for the creation of gods kingdom on earth. Democratic party to boko haram, casts the nigerian political party the all progressives congress as an islamist organiza tion, and accuses emir of kano muhammadu sanusi ii a target of boko haram of supporting the sect. According to a september 20 house of representatives homeland security committee report, the aqim boko haram collaboration is a mature relationship that allows boko haram an avenue to advance its capability, and. The emergence of boko haram is a symptom of the maturation of historical extremist and rejectionist impulses in the northeast and the failure of both governmental and customary conflict mitigation institutions. Is accepted boko haram as its province in west africa in 2014 and the united states department of state designated it as a foreign terrorist organization.
Pdf ideological factors help to define the evolution of terrorist organisations. Boko haram an analysis of the latest developments yossef bodansky major force buildup started immediately for both strategic reasons and in order to provide security for a campaign rally by president jonathan. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic. Boko haram boko haram, officially jamaatu ahlis sunna liddaawati waljihad can be translated as people committed to the propagation of the prophets teachings and jihad is a religious sect operating in mostly northeastern regions of nigeria, with recent significant. In 2002, an offshoot of this youth group not yet known as boko haram declared the city and the islamic establishment to be intolerably corrupt and irredeemable. Based on the case of boko haram, or jamaatu ahlissunnah liddaawati wal jihad people committed to the propagation of the prophets teachings and jihad to give it its real name, this chapter. Untold story of boko haram, its ideology, what they want.
The ideology of boko haram, a nigerian jihadi group that has pledged allegiance to the islamic state, is often described as opposition to democracy and rejection of westernstyle education. The root cause of the conflict is ideological in nature. Boko haram periodically conducts attacks beyond this area. The activities of boko haram in the northeastern part of nigeria have highlighted the need for more effective counterstrategies. This rapid development and global visibility make boko haram an important example of the combination of religion and violence in the 21st century. Under ideology, boko haram are described as a salafist group, attributing this to david cook.
The movement is unique in that it combines a sectarian, radical islamic agenda with violence. Understanding the threat posed by boko haram in order to understand how the boko haram insurgency threatens security, it is pertinent to provide a background of its evolution. This study examines the role of elite politics in the emergence of boko haram insurgency in nigeria. Boko haram bh is a nigerian extremist group which emerged only in the last decade, but. Boko haram faction releases book on history and ideology. Peace talks initiatives between the boko haram and. Boko harams religious and political worldview brookings institution. This is the most explicitly political challenge to the government albeit delivered through military means.
The analysis has identified the following as key strengths of boko haram. For years, boko haram has been conducting a lethal jihadist insurgency in the countrys north to drive out government forces and establish an islamic state. This is implicitly contradicted by the same source, when david cook claims that boko haram follows usman dan fodio, which was a 19th century reformer within malikite islam. This book is the first attempt to understand boko haram in a comprehensive and consistent way. While military crackdowns on boko haram have the potential to significantly degrade the groups operational capability to mount devastating attacks on a largescale, it must be considered that such an approach may increasingly force ultraradical elements within boko haram to establish terrorist networks with aqim and alshabaab as a form of. Political elites are no longer divided by ideology but by. Jan 14, 2016 the ideology of boko haram, a nigerian jihadi group that has pledged allegiance to the islamic state, is often described as opposition to democracy and rejection of westernstyle education. In the morning of 24 january, several thousand troops, new tanks and armored vehicles were deployed to the streets of maiduguri.
The shaded area illustrates boko harams general area of operations in 20152016. As thurston phrases it, boko haram arose from intramuslim competition as well as from narratives of grievance against the state and christians. The name boko haram is a hausa name which only the hausa peoples understood and is a compound name comprised of hausa and arabic. The threat from boko haram and ansaru the henry jackson society 7 leadership have recently surfaced. Boko haram is generally perceived as a violent islamist group basing its ideology on the religious principles and therefore often framed in the terms of religious conflict, which svensson defines as a con. Boko harams ideology has played in indoctrinating a new cadre of militants in northern cameroon. It analyses the causes of the uprising against the nigerian state and evaluates the consequences of the ongoing conflict from a religious, social and. Nov 11, 2014 boko haram is an islamist extremist group responsible for dozens of massacres of civilians and the abduction of more than 500 women and girls in its fiveyear insurgency in nigeria. Although boko haram can be compared in terms of philosophy and objectives to the maitatsine sectarian group, its organisational planning, armed resistance, and modus operandi is taliban and attacks executed by the groups so far the most ferocious and devastating. As such, nigeria should be wary of its political failings, it creates a void that necessarily must be filled by whom is the question. The ideological evolution of boko haram in nigeria please scroll down for article. In 2006 late yusuf personally handed me a press release that stated, islam permits them to subsist under a modern govt, but has explicitly prohibited them from supporting such govts as far as their. War crimes committed by boko haram in northeast nigeria.
Boko haram follows a purely military insurgency model and currently has no political front. Boko haram and counter ideology method 111 see how logical deductions through the application of locale specific perspectives can aid towards finding domain specific prognosis to terrorism in nigeria. It will therefore look at the origin and modus operandi of boko haram and seek to answer the question as to whether we can rightly tag boko haram a terrorist group or a foreign terrorist organization using the u s standard for designation. Pdf the ideological evolution of boko haram in nigeria. Lastly, analytical deductions in this paper, in many ways add dense insight on the perspectives that can instigate an end to the debilitating. Summary of findings having conducted a rigorous conflict assessment, we conclude that boko haram is a. Despite declaring a caliphate, boko haram has made little attempt at governing the territory it has captured. Isis and boko haram have a stronger millenarian religious cast in their ideology and propaganda than alqaeda. Sahara reporters, boko haram leader imam abubakar shekau. According to toni 2011 the boko haram is the popular name for the nigerian terrorist organisation jamaatul alhul sunnah liddawati wal jihad, or people committed to the propagation of the prophets teachings and jihad toni 2011. Pdf nigeria has recently been confronted with increased terrorist activity by a group called boko. This paper aims to examine the historical evolution of boko haram, its causes, recruitment, ideology, area of operation and the ways through which the problem can be solved. Nigerias difficulties in defeating boko haram has security ramifications that go beyond its borders, especially for west africa.
The boko haram becoming so complex, defensive and offensive is due to what mao tsetung. Major research paper the boko haram insurgency driving. Boko haram ties with salafists in mali and somalia. Much has been written about the origins of boko haram. The doctrines that the leaders of the boko haram founded their sect cannot be separated from the global jihad movement that exploits the widespread suffering, resentment, and anger in the muslim world. The boko haram insurgency began in 2009, when the jihadist group boko haram started an armed rebellion against the government of nigeria. Boko haram ideology is a spill over from the sunnisalafi doctrine that the temporal proximity to prophet mohammad is associated with the truest form of islam. The history of boko haram boko harams origins lie in a group of radical islamist youth who worshipped at the alhaji muhammadu ndimi mosque in maiduguri a decade ago. The ideological evolution of boko haram in nigeria.
On the other hand, contrasting approaches to returning to this original way of practicing islam has given rise to salafi jihadis that believe in the use of violence, even against. Were aqim and boko haram to combine their efforts, west africa, a. It does not indicate territorial control by the group. Nov 06, 2012 the root cause of the conflict is ideological in nature. Boko harams ideology is premised on an extreme islamic teaching that rejects most. As noted by david cook of the james baker iii institute for public policy, boko harams mass killings, pillaging, and enslavement of children more closely match the operations of an african guerrilla movement than those of a salafijihadist organization. Boko haram is an islamist extremist group responsible for dozens of massacres of civilians and the abduction of more than 500 women and girls in its fiveyear insurgency in nigeria.
Boko haram and the recurring bomb attacks in nigeria. The potential for boko haram to evolve from being a local to a regional or global threat is clear, and there are signs that several boko haram factions have already abandoned nigeriaoriented objectives in favor of embracing transnational militant objectives history and ideology from 2002 to 2009, boko haram was led by mohammed yusuf, a charis. Untold story of boko haram, its ideology, what they want and. Boko haram, an islamist separatist movement based in northern nige ria, has captured the attention of policymakers in nigeria and around the world with its potent blend of religious fanaticism. They seek to analyse the extent to which, in addition to local grievances and its own internal politics, the ideology of other. Radicalisationderadicalisationcounterradicalisation march20. Boko haram is an isisaligned jihadist group based in nigeria. Boko haram raided a bank in misau, bauchi state, killing 5 policemen, robbing the bank, killing 4 soldiers a day after, different parts of borno and yobe states came under attacks by the sect in november, 2011. Islamism, politics, security and the state in nigeria. The results of the study are intended for africom and its subordinate commands, but are applicable to all usg entities that contribute resources to countering boko haram. The boko haram insurgency driving factors behind the existence of the boko haram group in nigeria qurat ul ain arendas 7912887 api6999.
Boko haram faction releases book on history and ideology a flag belonging to boko haram flies from a mosque in the retaken town of damasak, nigeria, march 18. Ideology boko haram is a violent sunni jihadist group founded by cleric mohammed yusuf, who was previously a leader within a salafist group in the 1990s, and was inspired by 14th century fundamentalist scholar ibn taymiyyah. It examines the early history of the sect and its transformation into a radical armed group. Radicalisationderadicalisationcounterradicalisationmarch20. Since 2009, boko haram has transformed itself from a cultlike religious. The hausa applied the term boko to western forms of education so when the term haram is appended to it the intent is.