Research Report Forum: Issue: Student Officer: General Assembly 1 Combatting Boko Haram Rosella Twisk Introduction The purpose of this issue is to find a solution to the current trouble in Nigeria due to the Boko Haram regime. This is an Islamic extremist group, active in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The group has killed, injured and displaced millions of people in the years in which they have been active and therefore they are ranked as the world’s most deadly terrorist group in the World Terrorist Index. With the suicide bombings in 2014, the group shattered the façade of security in the Nigerian capital and broke records with the number of people killed. The aim of the Boko Haram terrorists is to introduce the Sharia laws in their countries. Founded as a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist group, it has developed into Salafist-­‐‑Jihadi. At the moment the sect includes members from different Islamic beliefs, such as Sufi, Shiite, and Izala. The members fight to introduce the Islamic state in Nigeria, and to counter the westernisation of the country. Possible solutions that were mentioned for combatting Boko Haram are, for example: • shutting down schools in dangerous areas, or enforcing security in those schools to prevent the taking hostage of children, • providing rewards for the saving of hostages kept by Boko Haram, • better border control, focus on preventing young girls from being taken hostage and then over the border, • enforcing the Nigerian government to focus on combatting these attacks. As there are internal disagreements in the group, this may be the best moment to take actions against this Islamic terrorist sect. Definition of Key Terms Boko Haram Boko Haram – which roughly translates as 'ʹWestern education is a sin'ʹ – is a Nigerian Islamist terrorist group, founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 in the northern city of Maiduguri. Officially, it wants to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria and the introduction of Sharia law. But it isn'ʹt that simple. "ʺInjustice and poverty, as well as the belief that the West is a corrupting influence are root causes of both the desire to implement Sharia and Boko Haram'ʹs pursuit of an Islamic state,"ʺ Terrorists Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate terror in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim Research Report General Overview In April and May 2014 the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram shattered the façade of security in Nigeria’s capital with their suicide bombings. The bombings on the city’s outskirts were barely two weeks apart and set a new casualty record of almost 100 people killed—doubling the prior record from the St. Theresa’s Christmas bombing of 2011. In just two weeks, Boko Haram effectuated 50% of terror attacks on Nigeria’s capital compared to the all-­‐‑time high of four attacks during the last six months of 2011. There was the April bus station bombing, eight people died at the police station, five at the All Christian Church, twenty-­‐‑four at the U.N., and forty-­‐‑four at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church. The bombings came right after blood-­‐‑thirsty terrorist leader Abu Shekau ordered the activation of cells across the nation beyond the group’s traditional northeastern stronghold. What is most troubling about these attacks, however, is the inefficient emergency response. The government apologized that they had insufficient body bags on hand during the bus station bombing. Even now, the media is reporting that hospitals are denying admission to victims. What is most appalling is not simply the government’s inability to quell this genocidal insurgency. Instead, the true travesty is the government’s inability to even provide responsive care to the victims of the state’s own failure to protect its citizens. Timeline of Events 2002 Start of Boko Haram by Mohammed Yusuf 2011 St. Theresa’s Christmas bombing 2012 Attack on a media house in Abuja 2014 Consecutive suicide bombings in April and May Major Parties Involved Nigeria The group’s ‘headquarters’ is in Nigeria. Mohammed Yusuf The leader of the terrorist group. Research Report Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue The international community has been quite reluctant to get involved in this matter, and although Nigeria has the largest army in west Africa, their military has not succeeded in combatting Boko Haram. Security analysts cited the lack of investments and corruption in the army as the key reasons for this struggle. However, after more than five years of insurgency, the military appears to have turned a corner in the battle against Boko Haram. Troops have reclaimed swathes of territory in the north and rescued hundreds of captured women and girls in recent months. Much of this success has been attributed to President Buhari, a former army general, and his crackdown on corrupt military officials. The formation of a stronger regional coalition has also helped push back the militants. "ʺThe enemies of humanity will never win. Hand in hand, we will rid our land of terrorism,"ʺ Buhari said in a statement after the attacks. But the war against the insurgents is still far from over. Attacks on soft targets like markets, schools and churches remain widespread and Boko Haram insists it has not been defeated. "ʺWe are still at [the] battle ground,"ʺ leader Abubakar said in a recent statement Possible Solutions In order to effectively protect the Nigerian citizens from the terror of Boko Haram, these are some suggestions for measures that can be taken: 1. Schools in the vulnerable parts of northern Nigeria should be shut down. Students should either be located to more secure locations to continue their education or be taught using a combination of nomadic education and homeschooling until the area is safe enough for the children to go back to school. 2. The government should offer a reward for each of the missing Chibok children. Their names and pictures should be splattered across the region in an Amber Alert. 3. Border crossings must impose a zero exit policy for young girls without proper parental certification. 4. Hospitals should be given anticipatory approval to treat victims of any past or future attacks. The government must honor the financial obligations arising from these bills. Ambulances, helicopters and special mobile casualty units should be mobilized and stationed in terrorism-­‐‑prone zones to ensure rapid medical intervention after any future attacks. 5. The Nigerian government should maximize its ability to detect future attacks and deter those caught engaging in terrorism. Satellite and other surveillance apparatus should be utilized to detect nocturnal movements and to preempt terrorist activity. Research Report 6. The larger population of the terror-­‐‑prone zones should be relocated to safe locations and the exited area thoroughly combed to isolate the terrorists. 7. Mandatory ID checks must be ordered for all travelers using any mode of transportation. 8. All local government funds in the areas most affected should be channeled towards victim and IDP support. Bibliography http://jubileecampaign.org/advocacy-­‐‑letters/recommendations-­‐‑for-­‐‑ending-­‐‑boko-­‐‑harams-­‐‑
destruction-­‐‑of-­‐‑nigeria/ http://www.theweek.co.uk/44576/boko-­‐‑haram-­‐‑what-­‐‑is-­‐‑it-­‐‑and-­‐‑how-­‐‑can-­‐‑it-­‐‑be-­‐‑stopped https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Yusuf_(Boko_Haram) https://www.theguardian.com/world/boko-­‐‑haram