Why India should care – Boko Haram Origins and current status

Boko Haram advocates a form of Islam that forbids or declares “haram” participation by Muslims in any political or social activity related to Western culture. Election participation, wearing shirts and pants, and receiving a secular education all fall under this category.

In fact, Boko Haram has extended its military campaign to neighbouring states because it believes that Nigeria is being ruled by non-believers, regardless of whether the president is Muslim or not.

Short name Boko Haram- means Western Education is forbidden with Boko signifying Western education and Haram meaning forbidden.

How and why did this group come about?

Since 1903, when what is now Northern Nigeria, Niger, and Southern Cameroon came under British control, there has been a Muslim hostility to Western education. Many parents still refuse to enrol their children in publicly funded Western schools, an issue made worse by the ruling class’s disregard for education.

In addition to founding Boko Haram in Maiduguri in 2002, Muslim cleric Muhammad Yusuf also built a mosque and an Islamic school there. At that time, Yusuf’s school was attended by a large number of underprivileged Muslim families from all over Nigeria. But the issue was… Boko Haram had interests beyond just schooling.

The overall objective was to establish an Islamic state, and the institution turned into a hub for jihadi recruitment. Attacks on Maiduguri’s police stations and other government facilities in 2009 resulted in shootouts on the city’s streets.

Thousands of citizens fled the city, and hundreds of Boko Haram followers were also slaughtered.

After gaining possession of the organization’s headquarters, Nigerian security personnel killed Mr. Yusuf. Boko Haram’s demise was announced on state-run television networks. Yet under the direction of Abubakar Shekau, its fighters regrouped and intensified their campaign.

The USA classified Boko Haram as a terrorist group in 2013. This occurred amid worries that Boko Haram had linkages to other violent organisations like al-Qaeda in order to carry out a worldwide jihad.

What kind of crimes did Boko Haram carry out?

To kill police, politicians, and anybody else who opposed the group, including clergy from Muslim traditions and Christian preachers, Boko Haram initially employed shooters on motorbikes.

The atrociousness of Boko Haram’s actions increased; they included bombing churches, bus stops, bars, military bases, even the police and the UN headquarters in Auja, the nation’s capital.

In May 2013, the Nigeran government proclaimed a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, the three states where Boko Haram had the biggest presence due to the rising violence.

The largest ethnic group in these three states, the Kanuri, is where Boko Haram also finds its fighters. Because the majority of Kanuris have recognisable facial scars, Boko Haram members can be quickly identified.

Does Boko Haram have foreign links?

Several members of Boko Haram were expelled from Maiduguri as a result of the deployment of military and the creation of vigilante organisations.

Members of Boko Haram spread to the Mandara Mountains and Sambisa Forest, which share a border with Cameroon.

Fighting groups launched massive assaults on cities and villages, plundering, killing, kidnapping, and obliging men and boys to serve in their armies.

Almost 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 from Chibok town in Borno state. The group said that the girls would be treated like slaves before being married off, alluding to an old, extremist Islamic belief that women taken captive during battle are considered war treasure.

In territories under Boko Haram’s control, a caliphate was proclaimed in 2014 by the new commander Abubakar Shekau. He declared, “We live in a caliphate that is Islamic. Nigeria has nothing to do with us. We don’t think this name is real.”

Shekau also renounced al Qaeda and swore allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) organisation.

The area ruled by Boko Haram was called the Islamic State of West Africa Province after IS accepted the vow and declared that it was a component of the global caliphate it was attempting to construct.

However, by March 2015, Boko Haram had almost completely lost control of its towns due to dire poverty, and its fighters had fled to the Sambisa forest, where the Nigerian military had successfully followed them and liberated hundreds of hostages.

In 2016, Boko Haram had split with an IS video announcing that Mr SHaejau had been replaced with Abu Musab al-Barnawi- believed to be son of Boko Haram’s original founder Mohammed Yusuf.
Shekau refuted this, adamant that he was the group’s leader.

Following negotiations between militants, the governments of Nigeria and Switzerland, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, 21 of the Chibok girls who were held prisoner and considered to be Shekau’s prized possessions were freed in 2016.

Nonetheless, other reports continue to assert that many more individuals have not yet been set free and that there are still some 2000 youngsters held captive. The number could be more.

A good number of Boko Haram militants have been slain and their weapons have been taken, but some analysts caution that it is still too soon to declare Boko Haram defeated. This is due to the fact that this organisation, which was founded by a single person, has outlasted the majority of other terrorist organisations in Nigeria and has managed to establish a foothold in adjacent states where it has carried out attacks and recruited fighters.

Why should India be wary of Boko Haram?

Simply because The Islamist group may be closer to us, than we realize.

This extremist Sunni organisation has sworn allegiance to ISIS, and there is evidence of the Islamic State’s presence in India, notably in Kashmir.

A thriving illegal drug trade exists between India and Nigeria as well. It has even to the point where the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) noted in a recent study that “illicit tramadol sales have previously been related with the support of violent extremist groups operating in parts of Africa.”

Moreover, and less well known to many, historically, Ukraine had been a significant weapons supplier for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. A few months after the Russia-Ukraine conflict started, there have been reports of small arms and ammunition supplied by the West being discovered in the African regions ravaged by Islamist militancy, and it is safe to assume that Boko Haram was one of the beneficiaries.

None other than Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari provided the affirmation.

Source » indiatimes