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Boko Haram:
The Deadliest Terrorist Group In Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria, West and Central Africa
As of 2019, Boko Haram is the deadliest terrorist group in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the second deadliest terrorist group in the world, according to the Global Terrorism Index. The jihadist group aims to establish a caliphate in northern Nigeria, without “Western” practices such as secular education and democracy. Boko Haram began as an Islamic center and school in Maiduguri, founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, a well-known Salafi preacher. In 2009, Boko Haram staged an uprising in which Yusuf was killed, and leadership passed to hardliner Abubakar Shekau. Boko Haram has dealt with substantial infighting over the years, with factions sometimes seceding (e.g., al Qaeda-backed Ansaru in 2012, and IS’ affiliated ISWAP in 2016). Since 2009, Boko Haram has killed 350,000 in northeast Nigeria and displaced 3 million people in the Lake Chad Basin region. While violence has decreased since its height in 2014 and 2015, Boko Haram remains a significant threat. If the conflict lasts through 2030, an estimated 1.1 million people will have died from it.
In March 2021, 35.4 percent of health facilities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states were damaged and either partly or completely non-functional. Notably, a major source of Boko Haram’s income comes from kidnapping and holding aid workers for ransom. The group also profits from looting during attacks, as well as through its control of resources (e.g. fishing grounds around Lake Chad). Such actions greatly exacerbate environmental strife in the region, where Lake Chad — a vital resource for much of the population — has diminished by 90 percent since the 1960s. Overall, conflict and climate change have left three million people displaced in the Lake Chad region and eight million food insecure. The IPC Acute Malnutrition Analysis found 912,618 malnourished between September 2019 and February 2020. These issues are all worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn.
Surprisingly, considering its horrific violence, Boko Haram leaders present the group as a victim of the Nigerian state. While Boko Haram is hardly a victim, this narrative makes more sense when contextualized within Nigeria’s extensive history of inter-religious issues. As Harvard’s Religious Literacy Project details, Britain’s colonial policies encouraged tension within the Muslim community, and between Muslims and Christians. Britain greatly favored the majority-Christian south over the predominately Muslim North. Economically, southern Nigeria fared far better than the North, where Indirect Rule created a system in which ethnic and religious identity determined access to resources. Overall, the colonial period fostered significant ethno-_ tensions that would later be seen in Nigeria’s civil war and the Maitatsine riots of the 1980s (Muhammad Marwa [died 1980], best known by his nickname Maitatsine, was a controversial Muslim preacher in Nigeria who founded the Yan Tatsine, a militant Qur’anist movement that first appeared around the early 1970s. Maitatsine is a Hausa word meaning “the one who damns” and refers to his curse-laden public speeches against the Nigerian state. In this context, Boko Haram frames its violent attacks as a response to Christians’ persecution of Muslims over the decades.
Historically, Nigeria has dealt with instances of inter-religious violence through force, neglecting other aspects of reconciliation. Scholars such as Alexander Thurston argue that grievances were never fully addressed and perpetrators were not held accountable, preventing true reconciliation. Today, Nigeria and the rest of the Multinational Joint Task Force Member countries (Niger, Chad, and Cameroon) have relied on militia groups to combat Boko Haram.
Unfortunately, as the Brookings institute explains, these militias are likely to contribute to further instability. There are numerous allegations against Nigeria’s military, further weakening the government’s relationship with communities in northern Nigeria. Notably, in 2018, Amnesty International reported that Nigerian soldiers forced women fleeing Boko Haram to “trade sex for food.” Further, Nigeria faces major issues with its treatment of terrorism suspects. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) May 2020 report alleged numerous cases of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, and conviction without adequate evidence. A 2019 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleged that the Nigerian government has arrested thousands of children (some as young as five years-old) with ties to Boko Haram. Going forward, the relationship between local communities and security forces must be strengthened, and trust in authorities rebuilt.
Despite the limited effectiveness of the Nigerian military, the Nigerian government, along with the MJTF and supporting Western countries, has made some progress in combatting Boko Haram. In 2021, the Nigerian government reopened terrorism courts to prosecute 400 suspected Boko Haram financiers. It also is preparing trials for 800 suspected terrorists. The G7 committed 276 pounds to support humanitarian efforts in northeast Nigeria. Nigerian offense operations caused over 6,000 Boko Haram militants to surrender. Chibok school, the site of an attack where 276 girls were abducted, has been recommissioned and named “Government Secondary School.” Repatriation of 200,000 refugees from Borno State has begun due to its increased safety situation. Fighting between Boko Haram and ISWAP militants left Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau killed in June 2021. This dismantled the rivalry between Boko Haram and ISWAP, who reconciled after Shekau’s death. This could mean increased support for Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, which will require continued offensive efforts.
“Insurgence and all forms of evil in a society doesn’t describes her as a failure, but vividly shows a lack of love for one another.” Michael Bassey Johnson
Key Facts
Deaths in northeast Nigeria – 350,000
Members – 1,500-2,000
Kidnapped in the first half of 2021 – 2,371
Where: Lake Chad Basin
Nigeria (predominately Borno State, northeastern Nigeria); Chad (Lac Province), Cameroon (Far North region), Niger (Diffa region)
Overall, the majority of violence has occurred in Nigeria (70 percent of attacks and 80 percent of fatalities). However, in 2019, 50.6 percent of attacks occurred outside of Nigeria (ACLED)
Some evidence of expansion into northwestern Nigeria (Jamestown Foundation)
The Situation
Boko Haram has been weakened after the death of Shekau, but ISWAP and Boko Haram have been joining forces and ISIS militants are also moving into the country. The Nigerian government needs to continue its counter-insurgency efforts in full force, with help from the EU and the US and neighboring countries: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. The government has already put suspected financiers and militants on trial, and should continue. Nigerian military officials also should be stationed near schools to combat the amount of school kidnappings. The bandits have been declared as terrorists, resulting in the Nigerian Air Force being authorized to deploy fighter jets against them. However, the bandits are launching an increasing number of attacks and should continue to be treated in the same manner as Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Improving
More counter-insurgency efforts in northern Nigerian states have led more Boko Haram fighters to surrender. Boko Haram financiers have been exposed by the UAE Cabinet, and Yawi Modu, a top Boko Haram commander, was arrested. IDP camps are to be shut down in Borno by the end of the year, because the Nigerian government believes conditions have stabilized. However, air strikes against Boko Haram militants have resulted in more civilian deaths. Schools also remain closed in northern Nigeria because of the number of kidnappings this year, and ISIS militants are moving into Nigeria from Libya and Syria. Their affiliation with Boko Haram is unclear. Attacks launched by bandits, who appear as motorcycle-riding gunmen, have increased towards the end of 2021. Bandits are now declared as terrorists, resulting in the Nigerian Air Force receiving authorization to deploy fighter jets against them.
Boko Haram: A Timeline Of Atrocities
Section 1400: Terrorism Links: Groups & Individuals
Boko Haram: The Deadliest Terrorist Group In Sub-Saharan Africa
Last Update: 09/2024
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