History and ideology from 2002 to 2009, boko haram was led by mohammed yusuf, a charismatic imam in northeastern nigerias borno state, who preached that western education is sinful, which in hausa language translates to boko haram boko means book or, more broadly, western education, and haram. While boko haram would appear to be a part of a wider terrorist phenomenon, linked to al qaeda and isis, historian kim searcy demonstrates that boko haram s agenda is local, not international, and the roots of that agenda stretch back several centuries. Boko haram which translates literally to western education is forbidden has, since 2009, killed tens of thousands of people in nigeria, and has displaced more than two million others. This brought about the recognition of boko haram as an international terrorist group. Stabilizing northeast nigeria after boko haram carnegie. The history of boko haram boko haram s origins lie in a group of radical islamist youth who worshipped at the alhaji muhammadu ndimi mosque in maiduguri a decade ago. The group is active in the north of nigeria, and wants to impose islamic law as the only law in nigeria. Boko haram simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Suspected members of the hardline islamist group boko haram attacked a school in damaturu, nigeria, early tuesday morning, burning or shooting. Boko haram emerged peacefully in 2002, but in a matter of years it became extremely violent. Boko haram is considered a threat to not only nigeria but also the entire world. Onuoha \ a danger not to nigeria alone boko haram s transnational reach and regional responses.
The history of an african jihadist movement on jstor. A short history of boko haram this morning, members of the boko haram movement attacked a dss detention facility close to the seat of power in abuja. Though the boko haram has attracted world attention due to the magnitude of its violence, its unorthodox beliefs and ability to endure, its local dynamics are not well understood. Boko haram in context the roots of boko haram lie in the islamic history of northern nigeria, in which for some 800 years powerful sultanates centered around the hausa cities close to kano and the sultanate of borno roughly the region of the states of borno and yobe together with parts of chad constituted high muslim civilizations. Boko haram literally translated as western education is a sin is a genocidal criminal movement led by an islamist extremist, abubakar shekau. The strategy is underpinned by a set of 9 nine guiding principles adopted at the first regional conference on supporting the development of a framework for a regional stabilization strategy for areas affected by boko haram convened from 2 to 4 november 2017 in ndjamena, chad. In a conflict that has no easy answers and no solutions in sight, boko haram is already and will remain one of africas enduring insurgencies. The exleader of the group, mohammed yusuf limited activism to a few incidents up until 2009 where a new helmet law caused tension between the state and boko haram. In 2002, an offshoot of this youth group not yet known as boko haram declared the city and the islamic establishment to be intolerably corrupt and irredeemable. According to a september 20 house of representatives homeland security committee report, the aqim boko haram collaboration is a mature relationship that allows boko haram an avenue to advance its capability, and. Pdf to improve the militarys effectiveness against boko haram. D department of history, adeyemi federal university of education p.
Background boko haram is a movement founded in northeastern nigeria by salafist preacher mohammed yusuf in 2002. Boko haram s attacks consist of suicide bombers as well as conventional armed assaults on both civilian and military targets. Since 2009 the group has carried out largescale acts of violence. The emergence of boko haram is a symptom of the maturation of historical extremist and rejectionist impulses in the northeast and the failure of both governmental and customary conflict mitigation institutions. Boko haram is a radical islamist movement shaped by its nigerian context and reflecting. There is a long history of governance in northern nigeria being based upon religious islamic. The multinational joint task force against boko haram. Boko haram is an islamic sect that believes politics in northern nigeria has been seized by a group of corrupt. Suspected members of the hardline islamist group boko haram attacked a school in damaturu, nigeria, early tuesday morning, burning or shooting 29 boys, but sparing the female students, news. Rise of boko haram world history free pdf download. The movement is unique in that it combines a sectarian, radical islamic agenda with violence.
Boko haram is a branch of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. Boko haram reportedly released all but one of the girls by 21 march. While boko haram cant be neatly characterized as an insurgency or terrorist organization, its origins appear rooted in grievances over poor governance and sharp inequality in nigerian society. History of boko haram founded in the muslimdominated northern nigeria in 2002 by mohammed yusuf, boko haram was originally labeled as the nigerian taliban because of its ideology and methods. Historical evoulution of boko haram the history and development of boko haram insurgents group in north eastern.
The hausa applied the term boko to western forms of education so when the term haram is appended to it the intent is. Boko haram, translated to western education is forbidden, is an islamic extremist group that was founded in nigeria in 2002. Boko haram was reported to have killed 380 people between april and september 2017 in the lake chad area. International journal of liberal arts and social science issn. The roles of broadcast media in the recent boko haram crisis in nigeria.
While the full report moves toward publication, brookings asked him to publish excerpts for africa in focus, 1 explaining the emergence of boko haram, 2. The study presented the historical analyses of the effect of boko haram insurgency on educational management in northern nigeria. Boko haram draws, among other things, upon historical references to the islamic empire of dan fodios. The rise of boko haram in nigeria combating terrorism. Boko haram conducted its operations more or less peacefully during the first seven years of its existence, withdrawing from society into remote northeastern areas. Boko haram and the evolving salafi jihadist threat in nigeria pdf. Boko haram, known for mass kidnappings, bombings, and other acts of. Their activities negatively affected the economy of those parts of northern nigeria. Boko haram, islamic sectarian movement founded in 2002 in northeastern nigeria. Jihad, commonly referred to as boko haram,1 has emerged as a violent challenger to the authority of the nigerian state. Education is the key to national development in nigeria. The history of boko haram cannot be disentangled from the immense political change nigeria underwent during the 1999 transition to democracy. It begins by describing the historical background of islam, then moves to the formation of radical groups in nigeria, and boko haram barely appears before chapter 4.
It was with the emergence of boko haram, a religious extremist group headed by yusuf mohammed, that the situation became definitively unsustainable. The roles of broadcast media in the recent boko haram. O, domestic, terrorism and boko haram insurgency in nigeria, issues and trends a historical discourse journal of arts. The islamic state in west africa or the islamic states west africa province formerly known as. About 57% of all schools in borno state were closed due to the boko haram insurgency, affecting the education of about 3 million children.
Beginning in 20, the state of emergency in borno, yobe, and adamawa. The name boko haram is a hausa name which only the hausa peoples understood and is a compound name comprised of hausa and arabic. Since 2009, boko haram has transformed itself from a cultlike religious. Meaning of boko haram is subtler than media portrayal. After decades of vacillating between periods of military rule and democracy, punctuated by coups, the nigerian fourth republic began as general abdusalami abubakar peacefully handed over power to olusegun obasanjo after democratic elections. The most bizarre of all the activities of boko haram was the kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by the boko haram terrorists between 14 th and 15 th of april, 2014. Terrorism in west africa boko harams evolution, strategy. The historical background of boko haram boko haram literally translated as western education is a sin is a genocidal criminal movement led by an islamist extremist, abubakar shekau, who has vowed to destroy every christian school in nigeria, and to carry out terrorist attacks on nigerian government police and government officials.
The governments establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of nigeria. The government and international partners should embrace development policies that take into account the local populations resilience strategies and adaptation to new economic realities. Hide footnote it is difficult to know whether women prefer the city because its anonymity erases their association with boko haram and tainted matrimonial history or because it is easier to find opportunities to make money there. In 2015 the group began calling itself islamic state in west africa. Boko haram is one of the deadliest jihadist groups in the world, and the crisis surrounding. The name of the group means western or nonislamic education is a sin. The fight against boko haram in cameroons far north, the countrys poorest region, has exacerbated the alreadydelicate economic situation and placed under strain traditional socioeconomic roles. The state of insecurity engendered by boko haram insurgency in nigeria. On 2 april, a boko haram attack on the outskirts of maiduguri resulted in the death of 18 people and another 84 wounded. This means that maos theory of revolutionary war can be applied to the boko haram crisis in nigeria in order to find more effective methods than have been used so far by the government of nigeria to fight boko haram. In todays world, there is hardly a day you will open any major newspaper or watch television without seeing a report on terrorism. Boko haram kidnapped 110 schoolgirls from the government technical girls college in dapchi, yobe, on 19 february 2018. Data from a variety of sources indicates violence orchestrated by boko haram in the northeast led to the death of thousands of civilians.
There is no debate about the havoc boko haram has created in northern and central nigeria. In order to better understand boko haram now and in the future, this report, edited by jacob zenn, challenges some key misconceptions about the insurgency and provides new analyses and continued. The historical background of boko haram genocide watch. An assessment of strengths, vulnerabilities, and policy options 1 introduction the islamist group jamaatu ahl as. Boko haram metamorphosed from a local insurgency to a highly sophisticated fighting force capable of challenging the nigerian military, which says a great deal about their commitment and tenacity. Nigerias battle with boko haram council on foreign relations. The threat from boko haram and ansaru the henry jackson society 7 leadership have recently surfaced. Nigerias history of poor governance and extreme poverty in the north. The bbc looks at the militant islamist group boko haram, which is fighting to overthrow the nigerian government and create an islamic state in parts of west africa. World watch research has reason to believe that the majority of them are christian civilians. Examining the boko haram insurgency in northern nigeria and the quest for a permanent resolution of the crisis joseph olukayode akinbi ph. During training with aqmi, boko haram members also mastered nigeria.
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