The Role Of Nigeria’s Government Though Nigeria’s government has cast itself as a hapless victim of Islamic terrorism, it is anything but. Prosecutions of security forces committing murder and torture are practically non-existent. Political opportunism is also quite common: Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has often accused Boko Haram of being strongly tied to groups such as al-Qaeda, a claim that until recently has been false. He has used this as a means to convince countries such as the U.S. and Britain to send financial aid, downplaying the significant role regional politics have played in forming such factions. Jonathan has also repeatedly accused the power elite in Nigeria’s north of controlling Boko Haram, even though experts agree that this is a complete fabrication. Political rivals have been arrested under flimsy charges that they were tied to the Islamists.
The Crimes Of Boko Haram Boko Haram, though, is no saintly organisation. Its hard-line views have led to many attacks and executions. The group targets Christians and Muslims alike, though it has a special liking for attacking police and military forces. These attacks have occurred several times a week, if not daily, since 2010. It has also killed children and blown up schools, not to mention medical personnel, religious buildings, sports venues, people playing cards games - the list goes on. The group does not limit its forms of violence either: kidnappings, car bombs, suicide bombers, drive-by shootings and beheadings all form part of its repertoire. But the biggest problem is distinguishing between violence orchestrated by Boko Haram and other factions.
Who Is and Isn’t Boko Haram? Practically every bombing, gun attack and kidnapping is attributed to Boko Haram by Nigeria’s government. In reality it is not so clear-cut. For example, a foiled plot to bomb a church turned out not to be by the group, but by a rival Christian faction. Likewise, Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility for some kidnappings and events such as the recent execution of polio vaccinators. Criminal gangs have also used Boko Haram to disguise their own illegal activities. Late last year the group Human Rights Watch estimated that nearly 3,000 people have died in this conflict since 2009, yet noted that state security forces were as responsible for executions as Boko Haram. Several splinter Islamist groups have also surfaced, orchestrating attacks that are usually pinned on Boko Haram without any proof.
Going To War With The West The Islamist sect has largely not targeted Western interests - Boko Haram has been violently active in Nigeria since 2009, but only rose to international attention when it bombed a U.N. building in 2011. Since then its focus on non-Nigerian targets have largely been kidnappings, of which there have been several. Most recently a French family was abducted by the group and in 2011 its fighters captured two British and Italian men - both died when British special forces tried to rescue them. The group has also been linked to the kidnapping or murders of French, German, Chinese and Indian foreigners. But despite claims to the contrary, Boko Haram’s links with other Islamist terror groups only became galvanised when French forces entered Mali. Since then the group has placed a lot more focus on international targets.
A Chance For Peace? One thing that almost universally agreed on is that there is no chance that Boko Haram and Nigeria’s government will make peace. Setting aside the decades of ill-will felt by the country’s North towards the South, Nigeria’s rulers are not making it easy. In 2012 a cleric mediating talks between the sect and government withdrew, accusing the government of insincerity. Boko Haram, though a singular large group, is also very disparate. Organised into numerous cells, there is no guarantee that what one part of the group agrees to will be supported by the rest. Last year a Boko Haram commander proposed peace talks with the government, but nothing came of this because there was no indication that he spoke for the entire organisation.
EZEH CHIBUOKE/Newscom/RTR
