Boko Haram: Difference between revisions

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*[http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68249/john-campbell/to-battle-nigerias-boko-haram-put-down-your-guns Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria arguing that Boko Haram is not a formal terrorist group]
*[http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68249/john-campbell/to-battle-nigerias-boko-haram-put-down-your-guns Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria arguing that Boko Haram is not a formal terrorist group]
*[http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20111123-books-versus-bullets-northeast-nigeria Books versus bullets in north-east Nigeria] RFI English
*[http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20111123-books-versus-bullets-northeast-nigeria Books versus bullets in north-east Nigeria] RFI English
*[http://en.qantara.de/The-Radical-Seed-of-Boko-Haram/18393c19112i1p497/index.html Militant Islamism in Nigeria: The Radical Seed of Boko Haram]


[[Category:Islamist groups]]
[[Category:Islamist groups]]

Revision as of 20:15, 27 January 2012

Boko Haram
People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad
جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد
LeadersMohammed Yusuf
Abubakar Shekau[1]
Mallam Sanni Umaru[2][3][failed verification]
Abu Darda[citation needed]
Abu Zaid - Spokesman[3]
Dates of operation2002–
HeadquartersKanamma, Nigeria
Active regionsNorthern Nigeria
IdeologyIslamism
OpponentsNigerian State
Battles and warsNigerian Sharia conflict
2009 Nigerian sectarian violence
Map of Nigerian states that currently implement Shariah

People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad[4] (Arabic: جماعة اهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad), better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, is a Salafist jihadist terrorist organisation based in the northeast of Nigeria,[5] in the areas predominated by the Kanuri people.[citation needed] Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001[6] or 2002,[7] the organisation is a Muslim sect that seeks to "abolish the secular system and establish an Islamic state"[8] and "establish Sharia system of government in the country."[9]

The movement, whose name in the Hausa language Boko Haram translates as "Western education is sacrilege"[8] or "Western education is a sin",[10] is divided into three factions, and in 2011, was responsible for more than 450 killings in Nigeria.[8]

Though the group first became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009, it does not have a clear structure or evident chain of command.[11] Moreover, it is still a matter of debate whether Boko Haram has any links to terror outfits outside Nigeria with some claiming one of its factions maintains links with terror groups in Somalia, North Africa[8] and with Al-Qaeda.

Etymology

The group's official name is People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad, which is the English translation of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad (جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد).

In the town of Maiduguri, where the group was formed, the residents dubbed it Boko Haram. The term "Boko Haram" comes from the Hausa word boko meaning "western education" and the Arabic word haram figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden").[12][13][14][15] The name, loosely translated from Hausa, means "western education is forbidden." The group earned this name due to its strong opposition to anything Western, which it sees as corrupting Muslims.[16]

Ideology

Boko Haram is an indigenous Salafist group which only turned itself into a Salafist Jihadist group in 2009.[5] It propagates a version of Islam that not only forbids any interaction with the Western World but it is also against the traditional Muslim establishment and the government of Nigeria.[17] The group publicly extols its ideology despite the fact that its founder and former leader Muhammad Yusuf was himself a highly educated man who lived a lavish life and drove a Mercedes Benz.[12]

The members of the group do not interact with the local Muslim population[18] and have carried out assassinations in the past of any one who criticises it, including Muslim clerics.[16]

In a 2009 BBC interview, Muhammad Yusuf, then leader of the group, rejected scientific explanation for natural phenomena, such as the sun evaporating water being the cause of rain, Darwinian evolution, and the Earth being a sphere "[i]f it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah".[12] Before his death, Yusuf reiterated the group's objective of changing the current education system and rejecting democracy.[19]

Criticism

Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, the Niger State governor, has criticised the group saying "Islam is known to be a religion of peace and does not condone violence and crime in any form" and Boko Haram doesn't represent Islam.[20]

The Sultan of Sokoto Sa'adu Abubakar has called the sect "anti-Islamic" and, as reported by the website AllAfrica.com, "an embarrassment to Islam."[21]

History

Background

Main articles: Islam in Nigeria and Colonial Nigeria

Before colonisation and subsequent annexation into the British Empire, the Bornu Empire ruled the territory where Boko Haram is currently active. It was a sovereign sultanate run according to the principles of the Constitution of Medina, with a majority Kanuri Muslim population. The Bornu Sultanate emerged after the overthrow of the Kanem-Bornu Empire ruled by the Saifawa dynasty for over 2000 years.

The Bornu Sultanate and other sultanates centered around Hausa cities near Kano were challenged in 1802 by the military conquest of Usman dan Fodio that established the Sokoto Caliphate.[5]

Since areas of the Sokoto Caliphate fell under control of the British in 1903, Western education has found little appeal among the local population.[16] Increased dissatisfaction gave rise to many fundamentalists among the Kanuri and other peoples of northeast Nigeria.

One of the most famous such fundamentalists was Mohammed Marwa, also known as Maitatsine, who was at the height of his notoriety during the 1970s and 1980s. He was sent into exile by the British authorities, he refused to believe Mohammed was the Prophet and instigated riots in the country which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Some analysts view Boko Haram as an extension of the Maitatsine riots.[22]

Origin

The group was founded by a self-proclaimed Nigerian spiritual leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri with the aim of establishing a Shari'a government in Borno State under former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.[22][6] He established a religious complex that included a mosque and a school where many poor families from across Nigeria and from neighboring countries enrolled their children.[16]

The centre had ulterior political goals and soon it was also working as a recruiting ground for future jihadis to fight the state.[16] The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and Niger and speak only Arabic.[23]

In 2004 the complex was relocated to Yusuf's home state of Yobe in the village Kanamma near the Niger border.[19]

The beginning of violence

Timeline of incidents
7 September, 2010 Bauchi prison break[24]
31 December, 2010 December 2010 Abuja attack[25]
22 April, 2011 Boko Haram frees 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola, Adamawa State[26]
29 May, 2011 May 2011 northern Nigeria bombings[27]
16 June, 2011 The group claims responsibility for the 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing[28][29]
26 June, 2011 Bombing attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri[30]
10 July, 2011 Bombing at the All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja, Niger State[31]
11 July, 2011 The University of Maiduguri temperory closes down its campus citing security concerns[32]
12 August, 2011 Prominent Muslim Cleric Liman Bana is shot dead by Boko Haram[33]
26 August, 2011 2011 Abuja bombing[34]
4 November, 2011 2011 Damaturu attacks[35][36][29]
25 December, 2011 December 2011 Nigeria bombings[37]
5–6 January, 2012 January 2012 Nigeria attacks[38]
20 January, 2012 January 2012 Kano bombings[39]

The group conducted its operations more or less peacefully during the first seven years of its existence[5] That changed in 2009 when the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the group's activities following reports that its members were arming themselves.[40] Prior to that the government reportedly repeatedly ignored warnings about the increasingly militant character of the organisation, including that of a military officer.[40]

When the government came into action, several members of the group were arrested in Bauchi, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. During the fighting with the security forces Boko Haram "fighters reportedly "used fuel-laden motorcycles" and "bows with poison arrows" to attack a police station.[41] The group's founder and then leader Mohammed Yusuf was also killed during this time while still in police custody.[42][43][44] After Yusuf's killing, a new leader emerged whose identity was not known at the time.[45]

Reemergence

After the killing of M. Yusuf, the group carried out its first terrorist attack in Borno in January 2010. It resulted in the killing of four people.[46] Since then, the violence has only escalated in terms of both frequency and intensity.

In January 2012, Abubakar Shekau, a former deputy to Yusuf, appeared in a video posted on YouTube. According to Reuters, Shekau took control of the group after Yusuf's death in 2009.[1] Authorities had previously believed that Shekau died during the violence in 2009.[47]

Assessment

Boko Haram is considered to be a major potential terrorist threat affecting Nigeria and other countries, and US officials believe it is potentially allied with Al Qaeda. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Carter F. Ham stated in September 2011 that three African terrorist groups - Shabab of Somalia, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb across the Sahel region, and Boko Haram - "have very explicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners, and the U.S. specifically" and that he was concerned with "the voiced intent of the three organizations to more closely collaborate and synchronize their efforts."[48]

General Ham reiterated his concern after the Christmas Day 2011 bombings of churches in Nigeria: "I remain greatly concerned about their stated intent to connect with Al Qaeda senior leadership, most likely through Al Qaeda in the lands of the Islamic Maghreb.”[48]

A bipartisan U.S. congressional counterterrorism panel urged the Obama Administration and U.S. intelligence community in November 2011 to focus on Boko Haram as a potential threat to United States territory.[49]

Nigeria's National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, has been working with other African governments, European and Middle Eastern governments, and the U.S. government to build cooperation against Boko Haram. He met in 2010 with then-CIA Director Leon Panetta, and in 2011 with AFRICOM Commander General Ham, and other U.S. officials, and was in the United States when the congressional panel was preparing its report on Boko Haram. He participated in a CIA conference at about the same time.[50] After the Christmas 2011 bombings carried out by Boko Haram, President Barack Obama's office issued a statement that confirmed that the U.S. and Nigeria were cooperating at a senior level against the terrorist group.[51]

See also

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References

  1. ^ a b Brock, Joe (2012-01-12). "Nigeria sect leader defends killings in video". Reuters Africa. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  2. ^ allafrica.com
  3. ^ a b The Abuja Bomber | The News Nigeria
  4. ^ "Nigeria policemen in court trial for Boko Haram killing". BBC News. 2011-07-13.
  5. ^ a b c d Cook, David (2011-09-26). "The Rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria". Combating Terrorism Centre. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  6. ^ a b "Nigeria: Boko-Haram and the U.S. Counter-Terrorism Partnership". AllAfrica. 2011-09-11.
  7. ^ "Boko Haram: Rocking the Nigerian boat". France24. 2011-12-27.
  8. ^ a b c d "Dozens killed in Nigeria clashes". AlJazeera. 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
  9. ^ allAfrica.com: Nigeria: We Are Responsible for Borno Killings, Says Boko Haram
  10. ^ Boko Haram is battle for 2015, says Chukwumerije By Ogbonnaya Obinna . The Nation . 29/09/2011
  11. ^ "Terrorism in Nigeria: A dangerous new level". The Economist. 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  12. ^ a b c "Nigeria's 'Taliban' enigma". BBC News. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  13. ^ maguzawa.dyndns.ws (Hausa-English dictionary)
  14. ^ *Coulmas, Florian (1999). The Blackwell encyclopedia of writing systems. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 196. ISBN 063121481X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Austin, Peter K. One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost. University of California Press. p. 64. ISBN 0520255607. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ a b c d e Chothia, Farouk (2012-01-11). "Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  17. ^ Bartolotta, Christopher (2011-09-23). "Terrorism in Nigeria: the Rise of Boko Haram". The Whitehead Journal of Diplomacy and Internatinal Relations. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  18. ^ "Dozens killed in Nigeria clashes". London, England: BBC. 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2010-01-02. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ a b Deadly Nigeria clashes spread, Al Jazeera, 2009-07-27
  20. ^ Jimmoh, Abbas (2011-06-13). "Boko Haram not representing Islam –Gov Aliyu". Sunday Trust. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  21. ^ Oladeji, Bayo and Agba, George (2011-12-30). "Smoke Out Boko Haram Sponsors, Jonathan Orders Security Chiefs". All Africa. Retrieved 2012-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ a b Johnson, Toni (2011-08-31). "Backgrounder: Boko Haram". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  23. ^ Captives freed in Nigerian city, BBC, 2009-07-29
  24. ^ Sani, Sani Muh'd. "Attack On Bauchi Prison - Boko Haram Frees 721 Inmates." allAfrica.com. 8 September 2010. Retrieved on 31 May 2011
  25. ^ Many dead in Nigeria market blast - Africa - Al Jazeera English
  26. ^ Boko Haram and Nigeria’s Elections | Sahel Blog
  27. ^ More bombs follow Nigeria inauguration UPI, May 30, 2011
  28. ^ Brock, Joe (2011-06-17). "Nigerian Islamist sect claims bomb attack: paper". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  29. ^ a b Mark, Monica (Sunday 22 January 2012). "Scores dead in northern Nigeria as Islamist militants terrorise the country". The Observer. Retrieved 22 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ UPDATE 1-Bombs kill 25 at Nigerian drinking spot - sources, Reuters 26-06-2011
  31. ^ News
  32. ^ University Of Maiduguri Shut Down As Boko Haram-Linked Killings Increase | Sahara Reporters
  33. ^ [1][dead link]
  34. ^ BBC (26 August 2011). "Abuja attack: Car bomb hits Nigeria UN building". BBC News. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  35. ^ "Nigeria Boko Haram attack 'kills 63' in Damaturu". BBC News. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  36. ^ "Nigeria: Boko Haram Suicide Attack Killed Dozens". The Huffington Post. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
  37. ^ "Nigeria churches hit by blasts during Christmas prayers". BBC News. 25 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  38. ^ "Christians flee attacks in northeast Nigeria". Reuters. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  39. ^ "BREAKING NEWS: Boko haram claims responsibility for Kano attacks". Daily Trust. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  40. ^ a b "Nigeria accused of ignoring sect warnings before wave of killings". London: The Guardian. 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  41. ^ Nossiter, Adam (July 27, 2009). "Scores Die as Fighters Battle Nigerian Police". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  42. ^ "Nigerian Islamist attacks spread". BBC. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  43. ^ "Over 100 dead in Nigerian clashes". RTÉ. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  44. ^ Nigeria killings caught on video - Africa - Al Jazeera English
  45. ^ Bartolotta, Christopher (September 19, 2011). "Terrorism in Nigeria: the Rise of Boko Haram". The World Policy Institute. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  46. ^ Boko Haram strikes again in Borno, kills 4
  47. ^ Jacinto, Leela (2012-01-13). "The Boko Haram terror chief who came back from the dead". France 24. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  48. ^ a b Mojeed, Musikilu (December 26, 2011). "Nigeria Arrests 2 in Blast That Killed 26 in Church". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security, "Boko Haram: Emerging Threat to the U.S. Homeland," Report of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence, November 30, 2011 http://homeland.house.gov/press-release/homeland-security-committee-report-details-emerging-homeland-threat-posed-africa-based.
  50. ^ "CIA Hosts General Azazi at Reagan Library Symposium," Atlantisphere, November 10, 2011. http://034df11.netsolhost.com/?p=68
  51. ^ "Statement of the Press Secretary on Nigeria," The White House, December 25, 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/25/statement-press-secretary-nigeria

External links

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