After nearly nine years of battling the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Nigeria appears nowhere close to ending their reign in its northeast region. Yearly, the sect is responsible for the death of thousands in Nigeria and other West African countries located in the Lake Chad Basin. The menacing activities of the group have also displaced millions of people in that region. And since 2009, the group has killed over 20,000 people and has displaced over 2 million.

Boko Haram is a top tier State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization founded in 2002 by Muhammed Yusuf, a cleric from Borno State. Boko Haram according to Nigeria’s Hausa local language translates into: western education is a sin or is forbidden.

Boko Haram seeks to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state governed by Sharia law in Nigeria. Boko Haram benefits greatly from deep religious divisions and tensions in Nigeria. The high level of poverty particularly in the Muslim majority Northern Nigeria helps to grow the membership of the terror group. The group uses of asymmetric attacks, such as guerrilla warfare and suicide bombings, on soft targets in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Since 2009, the sect has been responsible for the spate of suicide bombings, killings, and kidnappings in the Northern part of the country, particularly the North-East and Abuja. And in 2014, it’s most violent year, the group killed over 2000 people between January and July alone and went on to control large territories in Nigeria’s north east. In the same year, the group kidnapped over 200 school girls, drawing international condemnation and leading to the viral “BringBackOurGirls” movement which forced the government to act.

By mid-2015, the Nigerian military, with support from regional forces, successfully fought back the terrorists briefly and took back control of territories they acquired. Nigerian forces have since also successful restricted the group’s operations from spreading beyond the country’s north east.

However, Nigeria’s security forces and intelligence operations have failed to effectively curtail their influence beyond Nigeria. And this has serious implications for the West African region, particularly countries in the Lake Chad Basin, such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Nigeria, Niger (PDF) and Chad are three key US allies and are quite important in controlling jihadi movements into Sub-Saharan Africa.

Boko Haram has known ties to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In 2015, it openly pledged allegiance to ISIS and this makes it a viable player in the spread and support for jihadi networks (PDF) across West Africa.

With the north east fringes of Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin serving as its base, Boko Haram is strategically poised to help hide, recruit and organize other terror groups. As a result, Boko Haram now poses a huge threat to countries in West Africa and US interests in the region. These interests include support for democracy in Africa, economic partnership for development, aid to counter climate change, and counterterrorism agenda as part of the global war on terrorism.

Addressing the Boko Haram threat and its underlying causes should be of utmost importance to US National Security efforts.

Boko Haram Quickly Claiming the Chad Basin For Itself
At first, Boko Haram insurgency appeared to be local issue and was restricted to Nigeria. However in reality, the activities of Boko Haram led several humanitarian issues, largely displacing people (PDF) and forcing them to seek refuge in neighboring countries. And over the last four years, the group has played a transnational role in by spreading jihad to countries beyond Nigeria. Principally, Boko Haram has focused heavily on countries in the Lake Chad Basin: Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.

One reason for this is due to the porous nature of African borders, and the strategic importance of the Lake Chad. The Lake is an important lifeline to more than 20 million people. It is important for water, farming, fishing and supports transportation for people living in the semi-desert region. Boko Haram has taken advantage of these facts, solidifying its base of operations here (PDF) over the last few years. From this location, it has launched several devastating attacks against governments and people in the Chad Basin, leading to a humanitarian crisis here.

Also, the sect has drawn supporters from these countries suggesting that its appeal is going widespread. Several experts have suggested that its support base is as a result of discomfort with current Islamic practices in some states. Others attribute that widespread poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment widespread among Lake Chad Basin countries is a significant reason why Boko Haram appeals to some quarters, particularly the young and underprivileged population, in these countries.

In 2013, the group increased transnational attacks beginning with attacks in Northern Cameroon. In partnership with a splinter group, Boko Haram successful carried out several operations including kidnapping on Cameroonian soil. In 2014 the group also launched several offensives against Niger and began offensives against Chad in early 2015.

Although its boldness to carry out such attacks is waning as countries in the region utilise the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional security arrangement, to suppress it. However, the MNJTF only succeeded in weakening its offensive capability, but it has had little effects on its transnational terrorist network.

In 2016, just a year after MNJTF efforts successfully helped Nigeria win back large areas from the insurgents, a faction of the Boko Haram sect pledged allegiance to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The new faction was called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and is being led by Abu-Musab al-Barnawi, son of Muhammad Yusuf. The emergence of the ISWAP faction only rubberstamps the belief that Boko Haram has sophisticated network and capabilities, but had refused to spread its tentacles.

The allegiance allows each other to benefit from the other as they face crucial assaults from various forces. With ISIS facing heavily assault in Syria and Iraq, it has sort to internationalize itself to gain more territories and more bases of operations. With its relatively large territory, Boko Haram appeared a likely ally. And ISIS sees the group and its territory as pivotal to plans to support more terror groups, offering them training, finance and leadership.

Meanwhile for the Boko Haram faction, the defeats inflicted by the MNJTF sent a negative note about its capabilities and posed a threat to its existence. It significantly weakened the group and its hold across the region. The allegiance with ISIS allows it to access better terror financial networks and also to recruit more fighters and better weaponry.

Indeed, this reality is beginning to manifest. Over the last few months, Boko Haram attacks have become much bolder than they were a year ago. In February 2018 for instance, the ISWAP faction kidnapped over a 100 school girls from Dapchi in Yobe State, Nigeria, just 275 km from where the Chibok girls were abducted in 2014. It did however release 106 of the kidnapped Dapchi students, but held on to the lone Christian among them, Leah Sharibu.

And recently too, the ISWAP faction of Boko Haram has focused heavily on attacking Nigerian and other military outpost and operations in the region, killing hundreds of soldiers. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the terror group has made at least 17 attempts since July 2018 to attack military bases in Nigeria alone. In October 2017, an ISWAP ally led a deadly assault on US soldiers while were tracking down a terrorist leader in Niger. The assault caused the death of four US personnel.

In November 2018, the terrorists successfully attacked a military base in Metele Village in Borno State. It leveled the base within minutes according to sources and killed about 100 soldiers.

Also, the ISWAP faction of Boko Haram is working hard to win over the trust of local communities. In Nigeria and Niger, the faction is capitalizing on fear of Boko Haram to provide protection for people. Borrowing from the ISIS model, the faction offers locals protection in return for tax and recruits for its cause.

With the high level of poverty in West Africa, alongside the government negligence, this new network model by ISWAP could allow the group garners more grounds across the region.

Of course, the US is not at war in Africa, but its partners like Nigeria, Chad and Niger, are. And these partners serve as important players in the war against jihadi networks in Sub-Saharan Africa. So over the years, the US has stepped up its support for these countries to tackle the Boko Haram menace. The US has provided military funding of over $400 million (PDF) over the last decade to countries West African countries, particularly those in the Chad Basin, to counter Boko Haram. The US military has also provided technical advice and trainings for West African militaries, especially those participating in the MNJTF multilateral front.

Aside military funding and trainings, the US has also supported initiatives to address radicalism in the region. Through the USAID, the US has provided over $30 million in funding for such initiatives, as well as $168 million in humanitarian assistance (PDF).

Yet, these measures are not enough to counter Boko Haram and its network in the region. As a matter of fact, countries in the Lake Chad region are performing poorly in the face of the terrorism challenges they face. Their continued failure to address these challenges effectively not only raises questions about their capabilities as partners in this effort, but poses the risk that their failure could significantly affect US interests to tackle terrorism globally. With ISIS firmly in their soils, these states are in danger of serious crisis from ISWAP/Boko Haram if immediate actions are not taken to address the matter.

https://medium.com/@idrisabubakar/the-boko-haram-sect-and-growing-terror-networks-in-west-africa-part-one-a6e0345e03c0

Those idiots can not withstand our gallant soldiers.. I just want the government to provide for them all they need..

These are men who try to make the best use of the little equipment they have to combat the terror group..

If u are a soldier, a police officer, a naval officer, a lastman, a civil defence, whatsoever position you are holding to protect the unity and peace of this country.. I love you.

Very good Report.
U.S sets up ISIS.
Obama established Buhari as The Chief coordinator of ISWA.
Buhari actually presided over the Merger of Bokoharam to ISIS in Kano, leading to ISWA.
In furtherance and as querrilla Expert and a U.S Loyalist, Buhari established Fulani Herdsmen as itinery foot Soldiers for ISWA.
This is The reason why at first Bokoharam unashamedly claimed Chad Basins.
Miyetti Allah Fulani Herdsmen have been very vociferos, confident, outlandish, contemptuous and always contemptible in their uttrances and movements in Nigeria. Even Mr. President treats our Legislators, our Judiciary and the Nigerian Christian and Southern Leaders and Governors with Disdain. See what he did at the Legislature, how he contemptuously warned that outsiders were watching them. See how he has consistently been playing evasive game at National Debate. Even Trump and Putin won't try such nonsense with their people. It is all because he thinks he has the backing of the U.S. He has pretentiously allowed Fulani Herdsmen to spread incursionarily around the Borders of every Southern States. He has acquired weapons and fire fighting equipments for those Fulani men, so that at the slightest provocation from those Southern States, fire will burn them.
And this is why people are demanding a reorganizing for full autonomy of Police, Resources and Election Security Control for our 36 States and the President is talking negatively.
The Yorubas and the Igbos may appear not to compromise. They individually know what they value and want and know how to get them.
Buhari must know that God is watching everything in Nigeria and will judge everyone at the right time.