Boko Haram

Map of Nigerian states that currently implement Shariah Boko Haram (literally, Western or non-Islamic education is a sin, from Boko and Haram ) is a Nigerian militant Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout all 36 states of Nigeria . The group was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri by Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf . In 2004 it moved to Kanamma , Yobe State , where it set up a base called "Afghanistan", used to attack nearby police outposts, killing police officers. Yusuf is hostile to democracy and the secular education system, vowing that "this war that is yet to start would continue for long" if the political and educational system was not changed. In Bauchi the group was reported as refusing to mix with local people. The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and speak only Arabic . Boko Haram opposes not only Western education, but Western culture and modern science as well. The Blackwell encyclopedia of writing systems . London, England: BBC. 26 July 2009. : Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored ( help ) ; Unknown parameter |url= ignored ( help )

Current map of Boko Haram, as of 10 April 2015, shown in dark grey The maximum extent of Boko Haram, in January 2015, shown in dark grey Boko Haram ("Western education is forbidden"), officially called Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad ( , Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād , "Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad"), or Wilāyat al Sūdān al Gharbī ( , "The state of western Sudan"), or the Islamic State's West Africa Province (Iswap), is a jihadist group based in northeastern Nigeria , also active in Chad , Niger and northern Cameroon . The group is led by Abubakar Shekau . Estimates of the group's membership varies between 7,000 and 10,000 fighters. The group initially had links to al-Qaeda , but in 2014 it expressed support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant before pledging formal allegiance to it in March 2015. After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalization led to a violent uprising in July 2009 in which its leader was executed. Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010, was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets , and progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja . The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, resulted in a marked increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks. Boko Haram killed more than 13,000 civilians between 2009 and 2015, including around 10,000 in 2014, in attacks occurring mainly in northeast Nigeria. Upwards of 1.5 million people have been displaced in the violence. Corruption in the security services and human rights abuses committed by them have hampered efforts to counter the unrest. Since 2009 Boko Haram have abducted more than 500 men, women and children, including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014. 650,000 people had fled the conflict zone by August 2014, an increase of 200,000 since May; by the end of the year 1.5 million had fled. The Nigerian military initially proved ineffective in countering the insurgency, hampered by an entrenched culture of official corruption. Since mid-2014, the militants have been in control of swathes of territory in and around their home state of Borno , estimated at 50,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) in January 2015, but have not captured the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri , where the group was originally based. However, after joint military operation with Nigerian Armed Forces , Chadian Armed Forces , Cameroonian Armed Forces , local vigilante groups, local hunters and local fishermen, Boko Haram lost its capital Gwoza and most of its occupied territories while it is still controlling southern parts of Borno State. "Al-Qaeda map: Isis, Boko Haram and other affiliates' strongholds across Africa and Asia" . 12 June 2014 . "EXCLUSIVE: Boko Haram pledges baya to the Islamic State" . 7 March 2015 .

The maximum extent of Boko Haram in January 2015 shown in dark grey The Islamic State in West Africa or the Islamic State's West Africa Province (abbreviated ISWA or ISWAP ), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād ( , "Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad ") and commonly known as Boko Haram , is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria , also active in Chad , Niger and northern Cameroon . Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group has been led by Abubakar Shekau since 2009. When Boko Haram first formed, their actions were nonviolent. Their main goal was to purify Islam in northern Nigeria . Since March 2015, the group has been aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant . Since the current insurgency started in 2009 , Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2.3 million from their homes and was at one time the world's deadliest terror group according to the Global Terrorism Index . After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalisation led to the suppression operation by the Nigerian military forces and the summary execution of its leader Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009. Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010 in Bauchi , was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets , but progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja . The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, led to an increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks. Of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict since May 2013, at least 250,000 have left Nigeria and fled into Cameroon , Chad or Niger . Boko Haram killed over 6,600 in 2014. The group have carried out mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014. Corruption in the security services and human rights abuses committed by them have hampered efforts to counter the unrest. In mid-2014, the militants gained control of swathes of territory in and around their home state of Borno , estimated at 50,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) in January 2015, but did not capture the state capital, Maiduguri , where the group was originally based. On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant , rebranding as Islamic State in West Africa. In September 2015, the Director of Information at the Defence Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but attacks from the group continue. In 2019, president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari claimed that Boko Haram is 'technically defeated'. However, attacks by Boko Haram have escalated and it still poses a major threat as of 2020. "We have restricted Boko Haram to Sambisa Forest – Buhari" . 8 September 2015 . "Boko Haram renames itself Islamic State's West Africa Province (Iswap) as militants launch new offensive against government forces" . the Independent. 25 April 2015. The New York Times . "There is no doubt that the suppression operation of 2009, and the killing of Muhammad Yusuf by Nigerian security forces in July of that year, was a turning point for Boko Haram." Jack Moore (23 April 2015).

African jihadist organization Not to be confused with Islamic State – West Africa Province . The maximum extent of Boko Haram in January 2015 shown in dark grey Boko Haram , officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad ( Arabic : جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد , romanized : Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād , lit. ' Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad ' ), is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad , Niger , northern Cameroon , and Mali . In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province . Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group was led by Abubakar Shekau from 2009 until his death in 2021, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf's death in 2009, as well as in 2015. When the group was first formed, their main goal was to "purify", meaning to spread Sunni Islam , and destroy Shia Islam in northern Nigeria , believing jihad should be delayed until the group was strong enough to overthrow the Nigerian government . The group formerly aligned itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant . The group has been known for its brutality, and since the insurgency started in 2009 , Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians . The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children and has displaced 2.3 million from their homes. Boko Haram has contributed to regional food crises and famines . After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalisation led to the suppression operation by the Nigerian military and the killing of its leader Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009. Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010 in Bauchi , was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets , but progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja . The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, led to an increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks. Of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict since May 2013, at least 250,000 left Nigeria and fled to Cameroon , Chad or Niger . Boko Haram killed over 6,600 people in 2014. The group has carried out massacres including the killing by fire of 59 schoolboys in February 2014 and mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok , Borno State , Nigeria, in April 2014. Corruption and human rights abuses in the security services have hampered efforts to counter the unrest . In mid-2014, the militants gained control of swaths of territory in and around their home state of Borno, estimated at 50,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) in January 2015, but did not capture the state capital, Maiduguri , where the group was originally based. On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant . According to the BBC , due to internal disputes between the two groups, hundreds of militants left Boko Haram and formed their own organization, named "Islamic State's West Africa Province". In September 2015, the director of information at the Defence Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but attacks from the group continue. In 2019, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari , claimed that Boko Haram was "technically defeated". Shekau was killed and confirmed to be dead in May 2021. Despite this, Boko Haram experienced a subsequent revival under a new leader, Bakura Doro . "We have restricted Boko Haram to Sambisa Forest – Buhari" . 8 September 2015 . "DSS: Boko Haram relocating from Sambisa forest to Kaduna" . 15 September 2021. "Leaked DSS memo shows fleeing Boko Haram terrorists are moving to Kaduna" . 15 September 2021. Council on Foreign Relations . "Boko Haram: Egypt assures Nigeria of support – The Nation Nigeria" . 20 October 2015. The Evolution of Boko Haram's Factionalization" . Journal for Deradicalization (11): 291. "There is no doubt that the suppression operation of 2009, and the killing of Muhammad Yusuf by Nigerian security forces in July of that year, was a turning point for Boko Haram." Jack Moore (23 April 2015).