This terrorist group jumped to the forefront of the battle against Islamist terrorists in North Africa, when it kidnapped a French family from Cameroon. But who is this group? How did it start? And what role did Nigeria’s faction fighting have in its emergence? Here are 10 facts about Boko Haram...

1.Who is Boko Haram?

Boko Haram is the name of a large Islamist group fighting in northern Nigeria. Its aim is to establish an independent Islamic state under Sharia law. But this is only partially accurate. The group’s proper name is Jamā'atu Ahlis Sunnah Lādda'awatih wal-Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad). ‘Boko Haram’ was a dismissive name given by neighbours of the sect in its early years and means “Western Education Is Forbidden” in the Hausa language; alluding to the group’s hard-line belief that Western ideas, particularly from British colonialism, have turned Muslims away from the virtues of Islam.

2.How Boko Haram Got Started

The group originally formed in 2002 as a breakaway sect that eventually moved to a rural village, where it planned to run its own Sharia-based society. A conflict over fishing rights there soon involved the police, who were disarmed by the sect. Nigeria’s military cracked down brutally, killing most of the group. The survivors regrouped and started a new Islamic order, which grew thanks to broad unemployment and the charismatic leadership of Mohammed Yusuf.

3.Boko Haram Takes Its Gloves Off

In 2009 the group became more radical - Yusuf ordered the assassination of a critical local Muslim cleric. Another confrontation with police led to a riot and brutal state crackdown, leaving Yusuf and many followers dead. But the group soon emerged again, this time under the leadership of Yusuf’s right-hand man Abubakar Shekau. The event also saw members make contact with other Islamist groups, who helped train and arm the sect. Their violent retribution was soon blanketed by media and politicians as under Boko Haram.

4.North/South Frictions

The Islamism of Boko Haram is just a part of the story. Nigeria suffers from incredible factional fighting, particularly between the North and South. The North was an Islamic state since the early 19th century - this changed when the British forced the two parts into a single colony during the early 1900s. A major flashpoint is between the northern Islamic Fulani and southern Christian Berom tribes. The Berom have been accused of attacking the Fulani with government assistance, including cannibalism. There were also the Jos riots, centring around a Nigerian city in the middle of the country - this escalated to a conflict between 2001 and 2004 that left over 50,000 people dead. Such events have often been cited by Boko Haram leadership as justification for its own brutal campaigns.

5.The Role Of Nigeria’s Police And Military

Though Boko Haram has plenty of blood on its hands, many also blame the police and military for adding to the fire. During the 2009 crackdown, the sect’s leader Mohammed Yusuf was dead within hours of his capture - police claim he was shot while escaping, but evidence suggest he was executed. The police and military also executed dozens of people without trial, often on the flimsy accusations of other religious groups which would usually get the slain person’s property as a reward. In other words, it turned into a witch hunt. Both police and military forces have been accused of torture and executions across Nigeria - from Niger Delta militants in the South to Northern sects like Boko Haram. Women and children have not been spared and the guilt of a person is rarely determined. The forces are also known for being very corrupt and police chiefs running their own fiefdoms are not uncommon.

6.The Role Of Nigeria’s Government

Though Nigeria’s government has cast itself as a hapless victim of Islamic terrorism, it is anything but. Prosecutions of security forces committing murder and torture are practically non-existent. Political opportunism is also quite common: Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has often accused Boko Haram of being strongly tied to groups such as al-Qaeda, a claim that until recently has been false. He has used this as a means to convince countries such as the U.S. and Britain to send financial aid, downplaying the significant role regional politics have played in forming such factions. Jonathan has also repeatedly accused the power elite in Nigeria’s north of controlling Boko Haram, even though experts agree that this is a complete fabrication. Political rivals have been arrested under flimsy charges that they were tied to the Islamists.

7.The Crimes Of Boko Haram

Boko Haram, though, is no saintly organisation. Its hard-line views have led to many attacks and executions. The group targets Christians and Muslims alike, though it has a special liking for attacking police and military forces. These attacks have occurred several times a week, if not daily, since 2010. It has also killed children and blown up schools, not to mention medical personnel, religious buildings, sports venues, people playing cards games - the list goes on. The group does not limit its forms of violence either: kidnappings, car bombs, suicide bombers, drive-by shootings and beheadings all form part of its repertoire. But the biggest problem is distinguishing between violence orchestrated by Boko Haram and other factions.

8.Who Is and Isn’t Boko Haram?

Practically every bombing, gun attack and kidnapping is attributed to Boko Haram by Nigeria’s government. In reality it is not so clear-cut. For example, a foiled plot to bomb a church turned out not to be by the group, but by a rival Christian faction. Likewise, Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility for some kidnappings and events such as the recent execution of polio vaccinators. Criminal gangs have also used Boko Haram to disguise their own illegal activities. Late last year the group Human Rights Watch estimated that nearly 3,000 people have died in this conflict since 2009, yet noted that state security forces were as responsible for executions as Boko Haram. Several splinter Islamist groups have also surfaced, orchestrating attacks that are usually pinned on Boko Haram without any proof.

9.Going To War With The West

The Islamist sect has largely not targeted Western interests - Boko Haram has been violently active in Nigeria since 2009, but only rose to international attention when it bombed a U.N. building in 2011. Since then its focus on non-Nigerian targets have largely been kidnappings, of which there have been several. Most recently a French family was abducted by the group and in 2011 its fighters captured two British and Italian men - both died when British special forces tried to rescue them. The group has also been linked to the kidnapping or murders of French, German, Chinese and Indian foreigners. But despite claims to the contrary, Boko Haram’s links with other Islamist terror groups only became galvanised when French forces entered Mali. Since then the group has placed a lot more focus on international targets.

10.-- >A Chance For Peace?

One thing that almost universally agreed on is that there is no chance that Boko Haram and Nigeria’s government will make peace. Setting aside the decades of ill-will felt by the country’s North towards the South, Nigeria’s rulers are not making it easy. In 2012 a cleric mediating talks between the sect and government withdrew, accusing the government of insincerity. Boko Haram, though a singular large group, is also very disparate. Organised into numerous cells, there is no guarantee that what one part of the group agrees to will be supported by the rest. Last year a Boko Haram commander proposed peace talks with the government, but nothing came of this because there was no indication that he spoke for the entire organisation.

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