CS1 Boko Haram Flashcards
who was the founding leader of Boko Haram?
Mohammed Yusuf
when was the group formally founded?
2002 in Maiduguri, northeast nigeria
how old is the Abubakar Shekau? how does this relate to theory?
around 50 at the moment, so not as old as would be expected under the Ezrow demographic as he would only have been in his late 30’s at the most when becoming leader
give 3 suggested causes of the group
- a hyper-local phenomenon in that part of nigeria
- narrative of lack of governance by nigeria
- islamist terrorism more gloablly trending
- ambivalence of local islamic leaders to insurrection
what was the political context of the rise of Boko Haram? (2)
- weak state fo nigeria
- continued violence and conflict despite attempts to quash them
By not imposing sharia law over all of nigeria, what do members of Boko Haram suggest is the kind of inequaility
- they suggest they (muslims) are being exluded from the community of nigeria
- fraternal deprivation
what is their most publicised tactic?
kidnapping - most notably hundreds of schoolgirls
what is their second most notable tactic
suicide bombings of pubic places which target civilians and use recruited women and children who are seen as more expendable
what kind of militaristic tactics do they employ?
lethal attacks on nigerian forces outposts at night and then retreating into the hills and forests, which are unknown territory for the mostly southern soldiers
why do they target civilians?
because they believe them to be practicing islam incorectly
give 3 examples of tactics used by Boko Haram
- assassinations
- assaults
- bombings
- adbuctions
- invasion of border communities
- siezures of territory
what groups do Boko Haram recruit from?
poorest groups in society,, but also included some of the highest criminals and a broad range of members
what year was it ranked the worlds deadliest terror group
2015
where did they gain funds
in part from high class individuals some of whom were politicians in Borno state
what other groups were aligned with and supporting Boko Haram?
al-Qaeda, both technical and financial support
