Boko Haram is an African terrorist group that gained attention early but still cannot be ignored.
Bombing carried out by Boko Haram. theglobalpanorama. CC BY-SA 2.0
Since April, Boko Haram has carried out suicide missions and deadly ambushes along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Though the group has existed since 2002, it rose to notoriety in 2014 with the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria. The group likely poses no immediate threat to the United States, but has caused destruction across many populous regions of Africa.
Boko Haram is best described as an Islamic militant group in West Africa. Its sole mission is the rejection of any forms of Western influence, from the types of clothes that are worn to the receiving of a secular education. The group is acting against a Nigerian government that it claims is run by nonbelievers. Translated into English, Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden.”
Much of the backlash against Western practices can be traced back to British control of the region starting in 1903. There was an obvious lack of trust in government-run facilities, so many families began to oppose sending their children to school. Boko Haram first emerged in 2002 as an alternative to Western education and many families began enrolling their children.
At first, Boko Haram worked to oppose Western teachings but it became violent in 2009 in hopes of creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. For instance, the school that was established was seen as an opportunity to recruit younger generations into becoming jihadis. It first began attacking police stations before taking violence to the streets, which led many citizens to flee the country. Boko Haram’s campaign has now extended its reach to neighboring countries in the region, and it was first classified as a terrorist group by the United States in 2013. Since 2009, it is estimated that 27,000 people have been killed while over 2 million have been displaced.
The best-known attack by Boko Haram, the Chibok abductions, occurred in 2014. In another effort to steer locals away from Western education, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a secondary school in Nigeria’s Borno state. This created a worldwide campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, in an attempt to raise awareness to the issue and to try to bring the young girls home. The terrorist group believed the girls were only in school for prostitution. Over 150 girls have since escaped while those who have not are often forced to be wives of men in the group.
Woman campaigning for the return of abducted girls. CEE-HOPE Nigeria. CC BY-SA 4.0
Six years later, the terrorist group is still causing destruction across parts of West Africa. Nigeria’s military has been working to combat the group, but on Aug. 2 Borno state’s governor announced that he believes efforts to defeat Boko Haram are being “sabotaged.” Many of the Nigerian soldiers, according to Gov. Babagana Zulum, may actually be working for the terrorist group by laying out details of supposedly-secret operations.
Eva Ashbaugh
is a Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies double major at the University of Pittsburgh. As a political science major concentrating on International Relations, she is passionate about human rights, foreign policy, and fighting for equality. She hopes to one day travel and help educate people to make the world a better place.