Name
The organization's name has always been Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawa and Jihad ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, Jamā'atu Ahli is-Sunnah lid-Da'wati wal-Jihād, link=no). It was also known as the West African Province (''Wilayat Garb Ifrqiya''), and, after pledging allegiance toCauses, ideology, and takfir
Causes/contributors
Economic
Some analysts have emphasizedReligious
TheExtant resentment of colonialism
Academic Atta Barkindo explains the group's "baffling" ability to "maintain momentum" in part by the "accumulated and unaddressed grievances" againstPolitical advantage
The political interests and bias of the Nigerian elite is believed to play a major role in the thriving of the activities of the organization: the political leadership requires that the press refer to the group as bandits rather than terrorists, which downplays the threat they pose.Illiteracy/lack of education
In a discussion organized by theIdeology
The founder of Boko Haram, Muhammad Yusuf, was reportedly inspired by the controversial Islamic preacher Mohammed Marwa (History
Background
Before it wasFounding
Mohammed Yusuf founded the sect that became known as Boko Haram in 2002 in Maiduguri, the capital of the north-eastern state of Borno. He established a religious complex and school that attracted poor Muslim families from across Nigeria and neighbouring countries. The center had the political goal of creating anRivalry with ISIL
Boko Haram and ISIL were initially allies. The two groups however became enemies due to territorial disputes, as ISIL tried to conquer the zones under Boko Haram's control. In July 2014, Shekau released a 16-minute video where he voiced support forCampaign of violence
Boko Haram's attacks consist of suicide bombings as well as conventional armed assaults on both civilian and military targets. Following the Chibok kidnapping in 2014, the majority of Boko Haram's suicide bombers are female; many are teenagers and the youngest was seven. Boko Haram jihadists rely on stealth, blending into local communities or hiding in the vast countryside. Critics accuse the Nigerian military of not properly equipping its soldiers to fight Boko Haram.2009
Uprising
In 2009, police began an investigation into the group, code-named Operation Flush. On 26 July, security forces arrested nine Boko Haram members and confiscated weapons and bomb-making equipment. Either this or a clash with police during a funeral procession led to revenge attacks on police and widespread rioting in Bauchi, Maiduguri,2010
Bauchi prison break
On 7 September, having regrouped under their new leader, Boko Haram broke 105 of its members out of prison in Bauchi along with over 600 other prisoners. The group went on to intensify their insurgency, launching many attacks in Nigeria, mostly in the north of the country.Jos and Maiduguri attacks
On 24 December, Boko HaramDecember Abuja bombing
On 31 December, Boko Haram bombed a barracks in Abuja, killing four civilians.2011
Under Shekau's leadership, the group continuously improved its operational capabilities. It launched a string of IED attacks against soft targets and its first vehicle-borne IED attack on 16 June 2011, killing six at Abuja's police headquarters. On 26 August, Boko Haram bombed thePresidential inauguration
Within hours of2012
State of emergency
Three days later they began a series of mostly small-scale attacks on Christians and members of the2013
Kano shootings
On 8 February, at least nine polio vaccinators were killed in shootings at two clinics in Kano.Baga massacre
On 16 and 17 April, a massacre of dozens of civilians as well as the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses occurred in Baga, Borno, during a battle between Boko Haram and the Nigerian Army.Konduga mosque shooting
On 11 August, Boko Haram killed 44 people in a2014
January Maiduguri bombing
On 14 January, a car bombing in Maiduguri killed at least 17 people.Boarding school massacre
On 25 February, Boko Haram killed at least 59 males at the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe. The school was attended by children aged 11 to 18. Some boys were burned alive in their dormitories while those who managed to escape the fire were shot or knifed to death. Some female students were abducted while others were threatened with death if they did not quit school and get married. All of the school's buildings were burned to the ground.Chibok kidnapping
May Buni Yadi attack
On 27 May, soldiers, police and civilians were killed in Buni Yadi.July Maiduguri bombing
On 1 July, a van bombing in Maiduguri killed at least 56 people.Battle of Konduga
On 12 September, the Nigerian Armed Forces won a battle against Boko Haram.Kano attack
On 28 November, 120 people were killed at the central mosque in Kano during Friday prayers.Northern Cameroon
Expansion of occupied territory
2015
Cameroon bus attack
On 1 January, Boko Haram killed at least 15 people on a bus in the Far North Region of Cameroon.Baga massacre
On 3 January, Boko Haram attacked Baga, seizing it and the multinational joint task force military base. As the militants advanced the army fled. Some residents managed to escape to Chad. Although the death toll of the massacre was earlier estimated byWest African offensive
Damaturu, Potiskum and Kano bombings
In late February, suicide bombers killed about 50 people in Damaturu, Potiskum and Kano.Attrition of Catholic diocese of Maiduguri
A report by the Catholic diocese of Maiduguri estimated that as of May 2015 over 5,000 Nigerian Catholics had been killed by Boko Haram. The diocese also reported 7,000 widows and 10,000 orphans among its laity. Furthermore, Boko Haram militants had taken over several parish centres within the diocese.N'Djamena suicide bombings
On 15 June, two suicide bombings of police sites inJuly mosques massacres
Boko Haram militants attacked multiple mosques on 1 and 2 July. Forty-eight men and boys were killed on the 1st at one mosque in5 July attacks
On 5 July, major attacks occurred in Potiskum, Jos and Borno State.Fotokol bombings
On 12 July, two female suicide bombers wearing burqas killed 13 people in Fotokol. In response, the governor of Far North banned the garments to prevent further similar attacks.Claims of defeat
The March 2015 general election was won by Buhari, who had vowed to remove inefficiency and corruption in the military. On 9 September 2015, the Director of Information at the Defence Headquarters, Colonel Rabe Abubakar announced that all known Boko Haram camps and cells had been destroyed, and that the group was so weakened that they could no longer hold any territory: Buhari later reiterated in December that Boko Haram was "technically defeated" and declared in December 2016 that the group had been entirely ousted from its last stronghold of Sambisa Forest.Borno
On 20 September, a series of bombings occurred in Maiduguri and Monguno and the attacks followed an announcement by Shekau refuting the army's claims of defeat. A military spokesman stated that the event showed the "high level of desperation" of Boko Haram. The Arewa Consultative Forum released a statement condemning the bombings and commending the military offensive: On 21 October inFederal Capital Territory/Nasarawa
Two bombings on 2 October that killed 18 and wounded 41, one in Nyanya inAdamawa
On 1 October, villagers in Kirchinga, Adamawa complained of a lack of security personnel after 5 residents had their throats slit during an unchallenged early morning attack. The village borders Cameroon and the Sambisa forest. On 18 October the village of Dar, Adamawe was attacked. Maina Ularamu, a former Chairman ofYobe
On 7 October in Damaturu, Yobe at least 15 people were killed by 3 suicide bombers. In Goniri, Yobe, seven soldiers and over 100 militants were killed, and a large arms cache was found, according to an army spokesman, who said that the recent apparent rise in suicide bombings was an indication of the success of military operations.Kano
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a procession of Shi'ite Muslims killing at least 21, on 30 November, near the village of Dakozoye. A week earlier two bombers had killed at least 14 in Kano city.Cameroon
On 12 January, Boko Haram attacked a Cameroon military base inChad - October and November
On 6 October, the Chadian Army reported an attack in the border region of Lake Chad. 11 soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in the pre-dawn cross-border infiltration, and 17 militants were also killed, according to an army spokesman. On 10 October, 5 suicide bombers killed 33 people in the market in Baga Sola, a camp for Nigerian refugees. On 1 November, two dawn attacks on army posts occurred. Eleven militants and two soldiers were killed at Kaika, and in an attempted suicide bombing at Bougouma, "Two members of Boko Haram were neutralised and a third blew himself up, wounding 11 civilians", according to a government statement. A state of emergency was imposed in the western Lake Chad region on 9 November, initially for 12 days, but extended by Chad's national assembly on 18 November to four months.December Chad bombings
On 5 December, three female suicide bombers killed about 30 at a crowded market on the island of Koulfoua in Lake Chad.Niger
On 6 February, Boko Haram assaulted Bosso and2016
Bodo bombings
On 25 January, over 30 people were killed by four Boko Haram suicide bombers inDalori attack
On 30 January, at least 86 people were killed and at least 62 more injured in an attack by Boko Haram militants on Dalori Village which is located in Borno State, 4 kilometers fromDikwa suicide bombings
On 9 February, two young Boko Haram female suicide bombers killed at least 60 people at anMaiduguri bombings
On 16 March, two female suicide bombers killed 22 people in Maiduguri. On 29 October, two female suicide bombers killed seven people in the same city.Weakening and split
Madagali suicide bombings
On 9 December, two female Boko Haram suicide bombers killed at least 57 people in2017
Rann bombing
On 17 January, theIncrease in the number of child suicide bombings
UNICEF reported an increase in the number of child suicide bombers with 27 incidents occurring in the first three months of 2017 in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, compared to 30 in the entire previous year, 56 in 2015 and 4 in 2014. Kidnapped children who escape from Boko Haram are often held in custody or ostracized by their communities or families. Patrick Rose, a UNICEF regional coordinator, stated: "They are held in military barracks, separated from their parents, without medical follow-up, without psychological support, without education, under conditions and for durations that are unknown". According to the NGO: "Society's rejection of these children, and their sense of isolation and desperation, could be making them more vulnerable to promises of martyrdom through acceptance of dangerous and deadly missions". In addition to child suicide bombers and despite having been routed from key areas and significantly downgraded in their capacities, throughout 2016 and into 2017, Boko Haram in Nigeria continued to wage attacks against Nigerian security forces, the community-based Civilian Joint Task Forces (CJTF), and regular citizens, using improvised explosives devices (IEDs) and other crude weaponry. These were often deployed with suicide bombers; an increasing number of whom were women and girls recruited to attack markets, transportation depots, mosques, and IDP camps.Maidiguri bombings
On 22 March, suicide bombers attacked an IDP camp in Maidiguri, killing four people and wounding 18 others.Mubi bombing
On 21 November, a suicide bomber killed 50 people inside a mosque in Mubi.Diffa clash
On 6 December, Boko Haram attacked Nigerian and American soldiers in Diffa Region, Niger.2018
Dapchi kidnapping
Boko Haram kidnapped 110 schoolgirls from the Government Technical Girls College inMaiduguri attack
On 2 April, a Boko Haram attack on the outskirts of Maiduguri resulted in the death of 18 people and another 84 wounded. This attack came just days after the government of Nigeria claimed there was a ceasefire with Boko Haram. The attack happened in the villages of Bale Shuwa and Bale Kura, close to both Maiduguri and the city's military camp.Operation Lafiya Dole
On 18 May, the Nigerian Army killed 15 Boko Haram insurgents and rescued 49 persons in separate encounters between Boko Haram and Nigerian troops throughout the Southern Lake Chad Basin. The Nigerian troops killed 11 of the insurgents during a battle in Gamoran Village, while the remaining insurgents were killed trying to escape from the Army's efforts in Northern Borno. The Nigerian troops rescued 4 men, 33 women, and 16 children from the insurgent's hideouts in the area.Attacks in north-east Nigeria
In December, Boko Haram launched a series of attacks in north-east Nigeria. Militants from Islamic State West Africa Province took over the town of Baga and seized the2019
Attack near Nigerian Army chief of staff's family home
On 17 January, 6 Nigerian soldiers were killed and 14 injured by the Boko Haram jihadists during a raid at a village near the army chief's family home. Four military vehicles were also seized by the jihadists and two were completely destroyed.Attack against Chadian security forces
On 22 March, Boko Haram militants killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers overnight, two Chadian security sources said on that day, in what appeared to be the deadliest ever such attack inside Chad by the Islamist militants. The raid occurred in the town of Dangdala, near the banks ofKonduga bombings
On 16 June, a triple suicide bombing occurred outside a television-viewing hall in Konduga, Borno.Nganzai funeral attack
On 27 July, civilians were massacred as they returned from a funeral inAttack against a Nigerian military base
On 15 August, Nigerian soldiers were killed during a gun battle with Islamist militants in a village on the outskirts of Borno capital Maiduguri.Attack against a Burkina Faso military base
On 20 September, Boko Haram said that its fighters carried out an August attack in Koutougou in northern Burkina Faso that killed 24 soldiers.2020
Gamboru bombing
On 6 January, a bombing occurred at a market on a bridge in Gamboru, Borno.Auno attack
On 9 February, aBoma attack
On 23 March, Boko Haram fighters attacked soldiers in Boma, Chad, killing 92 and destroying 24 army vehicles. It marked the deadliest ever attack by Boko Haram on the country's military forces, and a serious escalation of conflict. In its eight-day counter-operation "Operation Bohoma Anger", Chadian army claims to have killed around one thousand Boko Haram fighters while incurring 52 casualties of its own troops. Of 58 suspected Boko Haram members, who had been captured during the operation, 44 died in a prison inGoneri ambush
On 23 March, at least 50 Nigerian soldiers were killed in an ambush by Boko Haram fighters near Goneri village in Borno. The army stated that all Boko Haram fighters were killed, although the number was not stated.Amchide bombing
On 5 April, two Boko Haram suicide bombers killed seven civilians and themselves inGajigana attack
On 18 May, Just as people were preparing to break theirGubio massacre
On 9 June, ISWAP killed 81 villagers inMonguno and Nganzai massacres
On 13 June in Borno, ISWAP killed at least 20 soldiers in Monguno and more than 40 civilians in Nganzai.Nguetchewe attack
On 2 August, Boko Haram killed at least 18 people in a grenade attack at an IDP camp.Koshebe massacre
On 28 November, Boko Haram killed about 110 farmers in Koshebe, Borno.Kankara kidnapping
On 11 December, more than 330 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, after gunmen with assault rifles attacked their school. Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for this.Christmas Eve attack in Pemi
On 24 December, Boko Haram killed at least 11 people, burnt a church and kidnapped a priest in the predominantly Christian village of Pemi in Borno. On 26 December, Turkey condemned the terrorist attack, describing it as "heinous". The Ministries of Turkey, Turkish ministry extended its sincere condolences to the families of those who died.Wulgo forest kidnapping
On 24 December, 40 loggers were seized by Boko Haram jihadists, while 3 others were killed in the Wulgo forest near the town of Gamboru in Borno. Bodies of three loggers were found in the forest by a militia leader, and the rest were presumed kidnapped.2021
Maiduguri attacks
On 23 February, Boko Haram killed 10 people in Maiduguri using rocket-propelled grenades.Mainok attack
On 25 April, ISWAP killed 33 soldiers in Borno.Battle of Sambisa Forest
On 20 May, Nigerian intelligence officials said that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau died after he detonated a suicide vest in order to avoid being captured during a battle with rival Islamist militants aligned with ISIS. Internal intelligence memos backing this claim were afterwards shown to the ''Wall Street Journal''. Five Nigerian officials, mediators, as well as phone calls intercepted by a West African spy agency backed the report of Shekau's death.Kwatar Daban Masara airstrike
On 26 September, A Nigerian Air Force airstrike on a market in Borno, aimed at ISWAP, killed about 50 civilians.2022
In March, Catholic Church sources in Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria, claimed that they had been attacked regularly by Boko Haram militants since september 2021. In one attack "they managed to reach Oupaï by coming through Douval. They killed two people, burned the houses and carried off clothing and small animals. Since mid-February four of the seven areas of the parish have been paralysed. We thought they wouldn’t be able to reach Oupaï because it is right on top of a mountain, but we were wrong!" According to this priest, who asked not to be named, the attacks seemed to be mostly focused on obtaining supplies. "In the past they entered villages, ostentatiously yelling war cries, but recently they have come discretely, taking advantage of the full moon, to surprise people in their sleep. They kill the fathers of the family and the teenagers, especially the boys. Then they pillage the family’s property and destroy everything they can’t carry off.” On 11 August, 4 soldiers were killed during a terrorist attack in Bwari, Abuja. The soldiers were serving with the 7 Guards Battalion, Lungi Barracks, Abuja, Maitama and 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Organisation.Organisation
Leader
Boko Haram was founded by Mohammed Yusuf who led the group from 2002 until his death in 2009. After his death, his deputy Abubakar Shekau took control of the group and led it until his suicide in 2021. Although Boko Haram is organized in a hierarchical structure with one overall leader, the group also operates as a clandestine cell system using a network structure, with units having between 300 and 500 fighters each. Estimates of the total number of fighters range between 500 and 9,000.Financing
Kidnapping for ransom
Boko Haram is said to have raised substantial sums of money by kidnapping people for ransom. In 2013, Boko Haram kidnapped a family of seven French tourism in Cameroon, tourists while they were on vacation in Cameroon and two months later, Boko Haram released the hostages along with 16 others in exchange for a ransom of United States dollar, $3.15 million.Extortion
As well as extortion from local residents, Boko Haram has claimed to extort money from local state governments. A spokesman of Boko Haram claimed that Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda had paid them monthly.Relationship with other militant groups
It has long been alleged that Boko Haram had a relationship withResponse of Nigerian authorities
Until the 1990s, the Nigerian military was seen as a force for stability across the region. But by 2014, it was short of basic equipment, including radios and Armoured fighting vehicle, armoured vehicles. Morale was said to be low. Senior officers were allegedly skimming military procurement and budget funds which were intended to pay for the standard issue equipment which is supposed to be provided to soldiers. The country's defense budget accounted for more than a third of the country's security budget of $5.8 billion, but only 10 percent of this money was allocated to cover capital spending. A 2016 United States Department of Defense assessment stated that the Nigerian administration's response to the Boko Haram crisis was marred by "high-level corruption" but that the morale in the military had improved after several former senior government officials were arrested on corruption charges. In the summer of 2013, the Nigerian military shut down mobile phone coverage in three north-eastern Nigerian states in order to disrupt Boko Haram's communication and ability to detonate IEDs. Accounts by military insiders and data of Boko Haram incidences before, during, and after the mobile phone blackout all suggest that the shut down was 'successful' from a military- tactical point of view. However, it angered citizens who lived in the region (owing to the negative social and economic consequences of the mobile shutdown) and engendered negative opinions of the state and its new emergency policies. While citizens and organizations developed various coping and circumventing strategies, Boko Haram evolved from an open network model of insurgency to a closed centralized system, shifting the center of its operations to the Sambisa Forest. As a consequence, Boko Haram's changing strategies fundamentally changed the dynamics of the conflict. In July 2014, Nigeria was estimated to have suffered the highest number of terrorist killings in the world over the past year, 3477, killed in 146 attacks. The governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima, of the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, said in February 2014: In April 2018, the President of Nigeria,International responses
Dates of designation as a terrorist organization
African Coalition force
After a series of meetings over many months, Cameroon's foreign minister announced on 30 November 2014 that a coalition force to fight terrorism, including Boko Haram, would soon be operational. The force would include 3,500 soldiers from Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. Discussions between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) about a broader based military force were held in January 2015. In early February 2015, an agreement to provide 7,500 African Union troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger was tentatively reached. On 2 February 2015, the Nigerian Army said it had recaptured Gamboru from Boko Haram, along with the nearby towns of Mafa, Mallam Fatori, Abadam, and Marte, Nigeria, Marte following a joint weekend offensive by Nigerian, Chadian and Cameroonian forces. By 6 February 2015, Chadian and Nigerian warplanes and ground troops had forced Boko Haram forces to abandon about a dozen towns and villages. On 17 February 2015, the Nigerian military retook Monguno in a coordinated air and ground assault. On 6 March 2015, the African Union endorsed the creation of a regional force of more than 8,000 troops to combat Boko Haram.Chinese assistance
In May 2014, China offered Nigeria assistance that included satellite data, and possibly military equipment.Colombian assistance
In October 2015, Colombia sent a delegation of security experts to assist the Nigerian authorities and share expertise on security and counter terrorism. In January 2016, a delegation led by Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai also visited Colombia to exchange information in regards to the war against Boko Haram.South African and post-Soviet states assistance
In March 2015, it was reported that Nigeria had employed hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and the Post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union to assist it in its effort to make gains against Boko Haram before the 28 March election.French and British assistance
France and the United Kingdom, in coordination with the United States, have sent trainers and material assistance to Nigeria to assist in the fight against Boko Haram. France planned to use 3,000 troops in the region for counter-terrorism operations. Israel and Canada also pledged support. In 2017, the United Kingdom enforced an emergency assistance package worth $259 million. The United Kingdom has also aided Nigeria through military support and counter-terrorism training. The Government of the United Kingdom, British government has provided training to 28,000 Nigerian military troops to aid the fight against Boko Haram. More than 40 British soldiers have also been sent on a long-term deployment to Nigeria. On 28 August 2018 the British government produced a press release describing the details the newly launched partnership between the United Kingdom and Nigeria which was formed to attempt to reduce the threat posed by Boko Haram to the citizens of the two nations. The press release gives an insight into the multiple methods (including community engagement and direct intervention by the Nigerian government) of preventing and reducing the impacts of attacks carried out by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Specific details of the cooperation between the British and Nigerian governments include: A pound sterling, £13 million programme to educate 100,000 children living in the conflict zone and; implementing a Nigerian crisis response mechanism to help the government respond to incidents like terror attacks and; cutting the number of new recruits joining Boko Haram by tackling the false information spread by the group to recruit new members.United States responses
In 2012, the U.S. Department of State had an internal debate on whether to place Boko Haram on its list of FTOs (United States State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Foreign Terrorist Organizations). The Bureau of Counterterrorism leaned towards designation while the Bureau of African Affairs urged caution. Officials from the United States Department of Justice, Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and a number of members of Congress urged the State Department to designate Boko Haram as an FTO. The Nigerian government voiced its opposition to an FTO designation, citing concerns that it would raise Boko Haram's stature and have implications for humanitarian aid in the region where Boko Haram operated. Twenty academic experts on Nigeria signed a letter to the State Department urging it not to designate Boko Haram as an FTO, saying that it would hinder NGO efforts in the region and might legitimize the Nigerian Army's human rights abuses in its efforts to fight Boko Haram. The U.S. State Department designated Boko Haram and its offshootUnited Nations responses
In January 2019, when thousands of refugees from northeastern Nigeria were forced to return from Cameroon, despite the continuous threat to civilian lives by Boko Haram jihadists, theSee also
* Human rights in Nigeria * Islamic extremism in Northern Nigeria * Nigerian Mobile Police * Salafi jihadism * Timeline of Boko Haram insurgency * Violent extremism * Kabiru SokotoReferences
Further reading
* Abimbola Adesoji: ''The Boko Haram Uprising and Islamic Revivalism in Nigeria.'' In: Africa Spectrum 45/2, 2010, pp. 95–108. * Roman Loimeier:External links