Boko Haram
Boko Haram
The name of the movement is Boko Haram
Leaders:Mohammad Yusuf-Abu Bakr Shekao
Objectives : implementing of Sharia throughout Nigeria
Orientation : generally in conflict with the government
Boko Haram in Hausa language means "forbidden to study in the Western way". With its official name (Arabic: جماعة اهل السنة للدعوۃ و الجهاد) is an Islamic insurgent and jihadist group in northern Nigeria that demands the closure of all modern schools and the imposition of Islamic Sharia on all 36 states of Nigeria. This group, which is also active in Niger, Chad and northern Cameroon, was founded in 2002 and was previously associated with the Al-Qaeda network, but in March 2015, it pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and changed its name to the West African Province of the Islamic State [1].
Their model is very similar to the Afghan Taliban, and their followers have long beards and wear a red or black cloth on their heads. Boko Haram began its activities in 2003 and carried out its first attack in 2004. Their main headquarters is in the northeast of Nigeria around the city of Maiduguri [2].
Background Islamic Sharia laws have been implemented in northern Nigeria since 2000, but Islamic rebels, including the self-proclaimed Nigerian Taliban and Boko Haram, demanding to implement Islamic laws throughout Nigeria. Clashes between radical Muslims and the Nigerian government in Kano, Borno and Yobe states in northern Nigeria in July 2009 left hundreds dead. Nigeria is a land that has two separate parts.The south of Nigeria mainly made up of Christian which is oil-rich and has all the luxuries of Africa's richest country, while its Muslim-majority in north are the world's poorest people Only 20-30% of them are literate, this figure is lower among women who normally have seven children. Their population has swelled with a generation of uneducated young adults; And they are vulnerable to turning to the ideology of extremism. Boko Haram was formed in such an environment.
Boko Haram was founded in 2002 by Muhammad Yusuf in Maiduguri and moved to Kama in Yobe state in 2004. This group has established a base in Kama which called "Afghanistan". Muhammad Yusuf was strongly opposed to democracy, secular education and knowledge. He is a Salafist and is strongly influenced by the views of Ibn Taymiyyah. Ibn Taymiyyah's opinions are the theoretical basis of the Salafi school. Mohammad Yusuf has even questioned the spherical nature of the earth. After his death in 2009, another person named Abu Bakr Shekau became the leader of this group. So far, this group has carried out brutal killings with numerous attacks on banks, restaurants and large stores.
On February 7, 2015, the five countries involved in the war with the Boko Haram terrorist group (Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin) pledged in the final statement of their joint meeting to form 8,700 people of troops to fight with this terrorist group. This five African countries that held an anti-Boko Haram meeting in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, each will provide a share of these forces. This force included military, security and civilian personnel.
In Feb 2015, Abu Bakr Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram group, officially declared his allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State (ISIS), by publishing an audio message on the Internet. This group has given its official name as "Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunni for Da'wa and Jihad" [3] Abubakar Shako said that his goal is to "swallow" Goodluck Jonathan (president of Nigeria) and overthrow his government [4].
The founder of Boko Haram
Muhammad Yusuf was the former leader and founder of Boko Haram born in Girgir town in Yobe state. He chose the official name of the group "Jama'ah Ahl as-Sunnah for Prayers and Jihad" (community of Sunni people who consider themselves obliged to spread teachings and Jihad). Contrary to appearances, according to B. B. C. this controversial Salafi was educated, spoke fluent English, lived a rich life and had a Mercedes Benz car.
Mohammad Yusuf in an interview withB. B. C. channel had falsely claimed that the sphericity of the earth is against the teachings of the Quran and is not acceptable. He does not accept that the origin of rain is water evaporated by the sun. They demand the implementation of Sharia throughout Nigeria and consider all those who do not follow them - both Muslim and Christian - to be infidels [5].
The method of recruitment in Boko Haram The tactics of this group in recruiting have varied in different periods of time. For example, Muhammad Yusuf, the founder and spiritual leader of this group, was able to create the core of this group by recruiting young Muslims from northern Nigeria through speeches and lectures, but after he was killed in 2009, when Abu Bakr Shikau succeeded him , the group's approach to recruitment was changed.
During Shikau's leadership, this group has been able to compensate for its human losses by recruiting new forces, relying on three factors. Exploiting money among the unemployed and the poor, using girls and women to persuade and encourage the youth, and by adopting the tactics of intimidation and coercion, it has managed to attract many people from different countries, and with this action, it has been able to compensate its human losses. These are three main aspects of recruitment in the Boko Haram organization after Abubakar Shikau took over the power [6].
Activity
Kidnapping has become a business for Boko Haram and some other groups in Africa, and they target tourists and those who work for Western companies. Every time the Nigerian forces have tried to rescue the hostages, it has resulted in the deaths of the hostages. Religious, tribal and sectarian differences in the African continent are not a new issue, but with the rise of the activities of groups inspired by Al-Qaeda and claiming Islamism, a new wave of conflicts has arisen, which has helped Western and anti-Islam media in order to demonstrate harsh and unrealistic image of Islam.
While 50% of Nigerians are Muslims and 40% are Christians, this group is responsible for the heinous killings of both Muslims and non-Muslims in northern Nigeria. They bomb both mosques and churches and commit suicide attacks. In one of the car bomb attacks in Abuja, United Nations buildings were targeted in 2011. More recent conflicts - especially in the rural area of Borno state in northeastern Nigeria - have left tens of dead [7].
The main operations of Boko Haram Killings in Izege village:
Senator Ali Ndum, from Borno state, said: "According to the information I received from Izege, 106 people including an elderly woman have been killed so far by the attackers, believed to be Boko Haram gunmen." According to witnesses, in this attack, the attackers first gathered the men in different groups and killed them with bullets or cold weapons, and then went from house to house and continued their killing. Abu Bakr Osman, one of the residents of this village, told Reuters by phone: "Now that I am talking to you, the bodies of the victims are still lying in the streets. We ran away without burying them because we were afraid that the terrorists were still lurking in the bushes and green fields."
Killings in the village of Maiduguri and Mainok : Boko Haram killed more than 75 people in the attack on areas in the northeast of Nigeria. Also, the attackers destroyed the entire village of Maynok, about 50 kilometers west of Maiduguri. An eyewitness described the attack as follows: "They started shooting everywhere and set fire to all the houses in the village." Earlier, two bombs exploded in a densely populated area of Maiduguri - a city often targeted by Boko Haram. The first bomb was planted in a truck carrying timber. Another bomb exploded while people were trying to save the victims. At the time of the accident, many people were watching a football game in a hall nearby. There was also a wedding party nearby. Many of the dead were children.
Kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls In April 2014: This group kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Shebok district in Borno state. These girls, aged 16 to 18, were kidnapped from a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria. It is said that about 50 of these girls managed to escape after being kidnapped. Two weeks later, Abu Bakr Shikau, the leader of this terrorist group, announced in a recorded video tape that he would trade these students as slaves. He openly stated that these girls are sold in the slave market or forced to marry men. He also said that he is marrying two of these girls, one is 12 years old and the other is 9 years old. He attacked democracy and western education and girls' education and said he kidnapped these students because they were under western education. Also, reports have been published which indicate that some of these girls have been sold at a price of around 12 dollars in neighboring countries on the border of Chad and in Cameroon. On the same day as the group leader's video was released, eight other girls were kidnapped in Warabe village in Borno state, the kidnapped girls were between 12 and 15 years old. In America, the pressure to find the girls got so high that representatives of the American government announced that they would help the Nigerian government to find these students. In order to find Boko Haram terrorists, more than anything, they relied on the information of the American secret services. The Office of the President of the United States said that it will deal with this issue at the political and military level, but will not send military forces to Nigeria in any way and will probably help the Nigerian army in the operation to rescue the kidnapped girls.
Twitter campaign:
In the same year, a Twitter campaign was also organized in support of the kidnapped girl students, which gained worldwide popularity. The campaign, which was tweeted more than a million times in one day, also drew support from US President Barack Obama's wife Michelle Obama and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai. Thousands of people from different cities around the world, who were affected by this campaign, marched to the Nigerian embassy, including in South Africa, London and New York, and demanded urgent action to find and save these girls. Michelle Obama said: "Our prayers are with the kidnapped Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to bring back our girls."
The killing of more than 200 people :
Boko Haram extremist Muslim militants on 6 May 2014 in Nigeria attacked the village of "Gamboro" in the northeast of this country and killed at least 200 people from this village and destroyed hundreds of houses. The victims were shot dead after the attack or after their houses were set on fire. It was said that 16 police officers were among the dead in this massacre. In their attack, the attackers also set fire to the biggest market in the village with all its goods that were prepared for export.
Attack on a village in Borno :
In a village in Borno state in Nigeria, between 93 and 106 people have been killed. This killing is believed to be the work of Boko Haram militia. One of the survivors of the attack told AFP that the attackers pulled people out "door to door". According to him, fighters entered the village with six trucks and several motorbikes, wearing military uniforms and gathered all the men of the village in one place and then "started killing them".
Suicide attack against World Cup spectators : In Nigeria during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and at the same time as the national team's match against Argentina began, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the crowd, killing at least 7 people and injuring 15.
Bloody attack on a market in Nigeria:
The attack by Boko Haram militants on a rural market in northeastern Nigeria has left at least 36 dead. Thirteen of the dead were members of Boko Haram. At least 23 civilians and 13 members of Boko Haram were killed in this group's attack on Mainok. A number of militants were also injured. According to eyewitnesses, Boko Haram's attack on Maynok Bazaar was accompanied by the mass flight of people and soldiers, and a number of people died as a result of running into fleeing vehicles.
Similarities between Boko Haram and ISIS The leader of the Boko Haram group officially declared his allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State (ISIS), by publishing an audio message on the Internet, although there were clear signs of cooperation between the two groups before that. Comparing the actions of ISIS in Iraq and Boko Haram in Nigeria reveals that the methods of terrorizing these two groups are very similar. Both groups even confirm each other's brutality in kidnapping and killing people. There are similarities between these two groups in terms of brutal acts and violent crimes. While the Boko Haram group set fire to some Christian villages in Nigeria and treated 200 kidnapped girls as slaves, ISIS beheaded hundreds of Yazidi and Christian minorities in the city of Mosul in Iraq and took women and girls to got enslaved as well. while the members of the ISIS group beheaded dozens of people, including the American journalist James Foley, the armed forces of the Boko Haram group brutally killed at least 200 residents of the Ghoza region in Borno state in the northeast of Nigeria. Also, Boko Haram declared an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria by following the example of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Therefore, it seems that there are many similarities between ISIS and Boko Haram in terms of intellectual foundations, belief tendencies, goals, strategies and implementation methods [8].
Funds
The ivory trade is one of the most important financial sources for Boko Haram and al-Shabaab. In the country of origin, ivory is sold to middlemen for a hundred dollars per kilo, but when it reaches China or Thailand, the price of ivory is $2,100 per kilo [9].
Footnote
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