BOKO HARAM CONFLICTIN NIGERIA by Megan Peet

Map of Africa, Nigeria highlighted

BACKGROUND ON NIGERIA/THE COMBATANTS

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The south part of the country is mainly Christian and the north is primarily Muslim

The group known as Boko Haram is a militant extremist Islamic sect who follow the teachings of Mohammed Yusuf

Boko Haram roughly translates to “Western education is forbidden” (boko = books, haram = prohibited). They have also been called the “Nigerian Taliban”

The group calls themselves “Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad”, meaning “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad”

Opposing Boko Haram are state military forces and international human rights organizations/movements

A video by John Green explaining some of the history of Boko Haram.

WHY ARE THEY FIGHTING? Boko Haram believes that the government has been taken over by a corrupt version of Islam and they

want to restore it to purity

They wish to overthrow the Nigerian government and establish sharia law in the country, particularly in the north

They have targeted one international subject (a UN building), but their primary focus seems to be for control of their own state government

On the surface, the conflict is largely one of religion and ideology, but underneath it is more about political power

Short video outlining some of the reasons Boko Haram is fighting

OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE OR SPONSORS

Where Boko Haram gets their sponsorship from (if any) is unclear

They have possibly received money from groups in Saudi Arabia or wealthy Nigerians

Members may also have received training in camps outside Nigeria

They are known to make money by robbing banks and through the drug trade

On the other side, the Nigerian government has reached out for help to places like the US and the UK

Anti- Boko Haram movements have gained much international support and attention

#BringBackOurGirls

Nigerian women protesting Boko Haram

CASUALTIES

“The most lethal insurgency on the continent, having claimed an estimated 29,000 lives since 2002” (Bloom)

Victims include many civilians and women Video comparing Boko Haram with

ISIS

Graphic source: http://ucdp.uu.se/#country/475

WOMEN’S ROLE

Women have been used by Boko Haram in support positions and also as suicide bombers

Many of the female suicide bombers are unaware of or not committed to their mission

The majority of women aiding Boko Haram are doing it under force, not voluntarily

However, some women do join them willingly, usually for revenge or ideological reasons

Image released by Boko Haram of some of their kidnapped women and girls

RAPE AS A TACTIC

Boko Haram is notorious for kidnapping women and young girls and systematically raping them

Girls are also taken from their homes and then given to soldiers for “marriage”

They want to forcibly impregnate women in the hopes of producing offspring that will carry on their ideological/religious legacy

Young men are also kidnapped, but there have been no reports of them being raped

Nigerian women describe Boko Haram abductions

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

So far, peace negotiations have been difficult and almost non-existent

Scholars say that to bring about peace, the fragile economic and political situation in Nigeria must first be addressed

Example: Hafsat Mohammed is a woman working with

Nigerian youth/children and interfaith groups.

She also just started her own NGO, to help youth and

women whose family members have been taken or

killed.

HafsatMohammed

Bloom, Mia, and Hilary Matfess. "Women as Symbols and Swords in Boko Haram's Terror." Prism: A Journal of the Center for Complex Operations 6.1 (2016): 104-21. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Photo Sources:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Nigeria_in_Africa_(-mini_map_-rivers).svg/1084px-Nigeria_in_Africa_(-mini_map_-rivers).svg.png

http://www.iran-daily.com/News/116940.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/women-make-change/2015/11/151104160651727.html

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/world/africa/nigeria-girls-abducted/