Boko Haram - who are they? Boko Haram is a radical Nigerian Islamist organization. Mass burning of children by Islamists in Nigeria

Means “Western education is a sin”) – extremist group radical Islamists, which arose in Nigeria and operates mainly in Nigeria and its neighboring countries. Official name– “Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad”, which translated from Arabic means “Society of adherents to the spread of the teachings of the prophet and jihad.”

The founder and spiritual leader of the group is considered to be Muhammad Yusuf (1970–2009). After his death, the organization was headed by Abubakar Shekau.

The group's headquarters is located in northeastern Nigeria, in the city of Maiduguri, the administrative center of Borno State.

Boko Haram supporters belong to the Salafist sect. “Salafis” and “Wahhabis” are supporters of the same movement in Islam, which calls for the purity of early Islam: to be guided by the example of the prophet, his companions and righteous ancestors (as-salaf al-salihin - the first three generations of Muslims), to be completely subordinate to religious tradition and the provisions of Revelation, which is accepted in the form in which it is expressed in the texts of the Koran and Sunnah. Members of the sect pray in mosques separately from other Muslims.

The goal of Boko Haram is the complete eradication of the Western way of life and the creation of an Islamic state based on Sharia law in northern Nigeria. Any person, even if he is a Muslim, but does not follow the laws of the sect, is considered an “infidel.”

The total number of the group reaches, according to some estimates, 30 thousand people.

The main sources of funding for the organization are robberies and funds received as ransoms for hostages. Within the structure of the group there is a detachment that specializes in kidnapping people for ransom.

In the period from 2009 to 2013 alone, about 4 thousand people became victims of the group.

The list of Boko Haram atrocities is constantly growing.

Extremists are responsible for explosions in Christian churches, police stations, shopping centers and military facilities. For example, on just one Christmas night from December 24 to 25, 2010, in Plateau State, militants carried out 9 explosions, which killed about 80 people and injured about 200; On January 20, 2012, nearly 20 explosions in Nigeria's second largest city, Kano, killed about 215 people.

Boko Haram carries out assassinations and kidnappings of politically significant figures: on October 6, 2010, the leader of the ruling People's Democratic Party, Awanna Ngala, was killed; In May 2013, former Nigerian Oil Minister Shettima Ali Monguno was kidnapped in Borno State. He was released after the militants received a ransom of 240 thousand euros.

On April 14, 2014, extremists from Boko Haram attacked a school in the city of Shibok in the state. Borno and kidnapped 276 teenage girls aged 12 years and older. 53 of them managed to escape, the rest remain in the hands of bandits. On July 6, 2013, they set fire to a boarding school in Yobe State. The militants opened fire on children running out of school, killing 42 of them.

Boko Haram also uses suicide bombers for terrorist attacks: on June 17, 2012, in the cities of Zaria and Kaduna, suicide bombers sent cars filled with dynamite into three Christian churches, crowded with people on the occasion of Sunday worship.

On May 5, 2014, 300 local residents were killed by gunmen in armored vehicles in Gamboru-Ngala (northeast Nigeria); On May 21, 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked several villages in the north of the country, killing about 48 civilians; June 4, 2014 in the villages of Attagara, Amuda and Ngoshe pcs. At least 200 people were killed in Borno, northern Nigeria. This is a partial list of Boko Haram atrocities.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has declared common goals with al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other extremist Islamic groups operating in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, northern Mali and Niger, Cameroon and Chad .

On May 22, 2014, the UN extended the international sanctions adopted against Al-Qaeda and related organizations to Boko Haram.

The name of the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram has been in the news due to the recent abduction of about 300 schoolgirls in the volatile northern region of the country.

Boko Haram threatens to sell girls into slavery. The abductions took place in several stages. The biggest one happened in April when more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped. According to the Nigerian police, 276 of them remain in captivity to this day. Another 11 girls were abducted this week in Borno state, where Boko Haram has led an Islamist insurgency for the past five years. The abduction of children has caused outrage in the international community, with many countries offering their assistance. The Nigerian government has offered a $300,000 reward for information.

Boko Haram - who are they?

Boko Haram is an Islamist armed group based in northern Nigeria. This extremist group is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamist state. It is distinguished by crimes committed with particular cruelty - a series of deadly explosions, murders and kidnappings. The group's official Arabic name translates to "People Dedicated to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad," but it is commonly known as Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language.

The group is based in the capital of the northeastern state of Borno, Maiduguri. She enjoys some support in Nigeria's impoverished Muslim north, which is predominantly rural.

Islam in the fundamentalist understanding of the group considers the participation of Muslims in any social, political or educational activities, one way or another connected with the West, “haram,” that is, forbidden, sinful. This includes prohibitions on voting in elections, receiving secular education, and wearing Western-style clothing. Because of these taboos, some call this group the "Nigerian Taliban".

What is the origin of the group?

Boko Haram was founded in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri by the inspirational Islamic preacher Mohammed Yusuf. In the 1990s, Yusuf led a radical Islamist youth group. Yusuf initially expressed an interest in education. He built a mosque and madrassa where poor Muslim families could educate their children. Overthrowing the government by force was not his goal. He blamed his country's problems on Western values ​​imposed on Nigeria by former British colonialists. He called on citizens to disobey the government.

The situation worsened in 2009. Members of the group refused to obey the law requiring the use of a helmet when riding a motorcycle. This led to violent clashes between Boko Haram supporters and police. More than 800 people were killed, including hundreds of Boko Haram supporters. The police seized the group's headquarters, Yusuf was sent to prison, where he died.

Since then, Boko Haram has carried out numerous attacks on security forces, churches, and schools, indiscriminately killing civilians.

Yusuf's right hand, Abubakar Shekau, took over the leadership of the group and changed its direction. Having lost its inspirational founder, Boko Haram went underground and split into several groups, which also spread to neighboring countries - Niger and Cameroon.

"The group has changed its activities since 2009," said Sola Tayo, a researcher at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London's Chatham House. “They began to resort to increasingly desperate violence. They are becoming more daring, their weapons more modern, and their activities more and more outrageous.”

Who are they fighting against?

Boko Haram has been accused of killing nearly 3,000 people since 2009. Last year alone, according to Amnesty International, they were responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people.

The group attacks security forces, fellow Christians, and Muslim leaders and preachers it accuses of collaborating with the government. Their attacks, although to a lesser extent, are also directed against foreigners and tourists. One of their most daring attacks was the attack on the UN headquarters in the capital Abuja in 2011. More than 20 people became its victims.

Last month, Boko Haram kidnapped about 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State. 53 of them managed to escape. And last week (on the evening of May 4) another 11 schoolgirls were kidnapped. On May 5, a video message was released in which Shekau threatens to sell girls into slavery and force them into marriage.

Are they connected to al-Qaeda?

In the United States, Boko Haram is recognized as a terrorist organization and they believe that the group may be connected with al-Qaeda through the Islamic Maghreb organization operating in northwest Africa, the extremist group al-Shabab in Somalia and al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula."

According to a 2011 US Congressional report, the group is "emerging as a threat" to the United States. Boko Haram denies ties to foreign groups.

Although Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of a French family in northern Cameroon last February, there is little evidence that the group intends to operate outside Nigeria.

“They have connections, they exchange information,” says Tayo. – However, is Boko Haram active part"Al-Qaeda is a debatable issue, since at present the conflict does not extend beyond the borders of a certain region of Nigeria."

Boko Haram is an Islamist terrorist group operating in the north and northeast of Nigeria. The organization was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002. He built a religious complex, a mosque and a school where the recruitment of future militants took place.

The name of the gang can be translated from Arabic as “Western education is a sin”; it consists of two words “boko” (translated from Arabic as “false”, radical Islamists use this word to denote Western education) and haram (“sin”).

In 2015, the militants swore allegiance to the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation - note by AiF.ru) and took a new name for themselves: “West African Province of the Islamic State.”

Ideology

Supporters of the group consider it a sin Western culture, including education and science. According to terrorists, women in particular should under no circumstances study or wear skirts. Also, Boko Haram supporters do not recognize voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers, and scientific truths (for example, the water cycle in nature, Darwinism, the sphericity of the Earth), which, in their opinion, contradict Islam.

The Nigerian government, from the point of view of Boko Haram, is “corrupted” by Western ideas and consists of “non-believers,” and the country’s leaders are Muslims only formally. In this regard, the current government, as the group's leaders say, should be overthrown, and Sharia law should be introduced in the country.

According to this organization's understanding of Sharia, sinners must face the most severe punishment both in this life and in the hereafter. Therefore, unrighteous Nigerians, from the point of view of Boko Haram, must be punished through physical violence.

Ethnic composition

The bulk of Boko Haram militants are representatives of the Kanuri people. There are over 3 million of them in Nigeria. Most of them are Muslims. In addition, among the militants there are representatives of other African tribes: Fulani and Chaos.

Activities of the gang

year 2009 - Mohammed Yusuf attempted a rebellion aimed at creating an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. After this, on July 29, 2009, the police stormed the group's base in Maiduguri. Mohammed Yusuf was arrested by the police and later died under unclear circumstances;

2010 - about 50 gang supporters attacked a prison in the city of Bauchi, where extremists arrested during the rebellion were kept. 721 of the 759 prisoners held in the prison were released;

2011 - organization of explosions in the city of Damaturu. The target of the attack is police, military and residents of Christian areas. A total of 150 people died;

2012 - attack on Christian communities located in Adamawa state, resulting in the death of at least 29 people;

2012 - Suicide bombers blew up three churches in Kaduna state; according to the Red Cross, over 50 people died;

2013 - Due to the activities of Boko Haram, the Nigerian government introduced state of emergency in the country;

2014 - the group kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a lyceum in locality Chibok (Borno State). Attack on an educational institution leader of the organization, Abubakar Shekau, explained that “girls should leave school and get married”;

2014 - a double terrorist attack was committed in the city of Jos (Plateau State), as a result of which more than 160 civilians were killed and more than 55 were injured;

2014 - terrorists captured the city of Buni Yadi and announced the creation of a caliphate on the territory under its control;

2015 - 16 cities and villages in northern Nigeria in the state of Borno were burned, including the 10,000-person city of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad, and several cities were captured.

Government position

The Nigerian government's attempt at dialogue with the Boko Haram group has not yet been successful. The authorities are conducting full-fledged military operations against the militants using aviation and artillery.

Sharia (translated from Arabic as “path”, “way of action”) is a set of legal, canonical-traditional, moral, ethical and religious norms of Islam, covering a significant part of the life of a Muslim, one of the forms of religious law.

Militants of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram attacked a group of geologists carrying out oil exploration in the northeastern part of Nigeria, killing at least 50 people.

Boko Haram is a militant terrorist group of radical Islamists operating in the northeastern and northern states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The group also has cells in the regions of Niger, Cameroon and Chad bordering Nigeria.

Title, ideology

The full name of the group from the beginning of its existence is “Society of Adherents to the Dissemination of the Teachings of the Prophet and Jihad” (Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad). On April 26, 2015, shortly after taking the oath to the terrorist group "Islamic State" (banned in the Russian Federation), the leaders of the sect announced their renaming to the "West African Province of the Islamic State" (Wilayah ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fi Gharbi Ifriqia; also in Russian-speaking sources there is the option “Islamic State in West Africa”).

"Boko Haram" - popular name, which can be translated from the Hausa language as “Western education is a sin.” The leaders of Boko Haram themselves often speak out against this name, considering it too vulgar an interpretation of the goals of their struggle. However, it does convey the main message of the sect's ideology. According to the views of its members, teaching evolutionary theory Darwin, the principle of the water cycle in nature, as well as the big bang theory and other fundamentals modern natural science is contrary to orthodox Islam, is a sin and should be prohibited.

In addition to banning Western education, the group also opposes Western-style democracy and the principle of separation of powers, the secular nature of the state, as well as the wearing of Western clothing and the use of other elements of modern Western culture.

Ideal political structure society, from the point of view of Boko Haram, is a state built on the basis of strict adherence to Sharia law, in which legislative, executive and judicial power is exercised locally by Sharia courts, formed from authoritative and enlightened interpreters of Islam.

History of appearance

The founding date of Boko Haram is considered to be 2002 and is associated with the activities of the radical Islamic preacher Abu Yusuf Mohammed Yusuf. Being a charismatic religious leader, Yusuf rallied young supporters of radical Islam around himself and began to call for the proclamation of a Sharia state in Nigeria, as well as a ban on Western education and an intensified fight against corruption. Originating in the state of Borno, the movement soon spread to the neighboring states of Yobe and Adamawa, and after them to the entire north of Nigeria.

In July 2009, clashes between Islamists and police in the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri, and the cities of Bauchi, Kano and some others, escalated into a real armed confrontation, in which over 800 people, mostly Boko Haram supporters, became victims. Islamist leaders, including Mohammed Yusuf, were arrested. A few days after his arrest, Yusuf was killed, according to the official police version - while trying to escape. In addition to him, several other authoritative members of the sect were killed in the same way.

After Yusuf's death, leadership of the group passed to Abubakar Shekau, a supporter radical methods struggle, including terrorism. The year after the suppression of the Islamist uprising and the killing of the leaders by militants was spent underground and in exile in neighboring Chad and Niger. In 2010, Boko Haram reasserted itself with a series of high-profile terrorist attacks and attacks on political opponents and civilians.

Constant targets of Boko Haram terrorist attacks are secular schools and other educational institutions, Christian churches, missions Western countries And international organizations, as well as usual crowded places (markets, supermarkets, bus stations). In addition to students, Christians and law enforcement officers, Nigerian politicians and Muslim spiritual leaders who criticize radical Islamists are also targets of such attacks. The group’s militants regularly resort to hostage-taking with the aim of their subsequent release for ransom or sale into slavery and forced marriage.

In June 2013, the Nigerian government designated Boko Haram a terrorist organization and banned its activities. Subsequently, its example was followed by the governments of Great Britain (July 2013), the USA (November 2013), Canada (December 2013), etc. On May 22, 2014, Boko Haram was recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council.

Connections with the terrorist world, financing

The source of funding for the organization is robberies, including banks, receiving ransom for hostages, as well as private contributions from businessmen in the northern region who use the group for their own struggle for power. It is assumed that the group can be financed by international terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda (banned in the Russian Federation), and supported by some political forces in Nigeria.

Boko Haram also maintains contacts with other international terrorist organizations, such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (banned in the Russian Federation), Al-Shabab, Taliban (banned in the Russian Federation), etc. Many of them The fighters were trained in camps in Afghanistan and took part in combat operations in Somalia and Mali.

On March 7, 2015, Boko Haram militants released a video in which they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, pledging to “listen and obey in times of hardship and prosperity,” and therefore soon announced their official renaming. However, in August 2016, militant leader Abubakar Shekau challenged the IS decision to appoint a wali (chief) in his place. West Africa Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who served for a long time as the “spokesman” of Boko Haram.

The attempt to change the leadership of the group was preceded by Shekau’s long absence from the videos it distributed, which gave rise to further rumors about his possible neutralization. However, on August 4, the leader of Boko Haram made himself known again, speaking in another video refuting his removal and confirming his intention to lead the fight for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in West Africa. Shekau also criticized the actions of the IS leadership, warning that the group he leads will not accept another leader appointed by an external decision. In the same video, he called her by her former name, used before affiliation with ISIS, without at the same time declaring an official split.

Occupation of the northeastern Nigerian states and the internationalization of the civil war

Since the beginning of 2014, Boko Haram has intensified its terrorist activities. As a result of a series of military operations, militants managed to capture a number of areas in the Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. In the territories under their control, militants carried out massacres of civilians, including women and children. Children are also often used by terrorists as suicide bombers when organizing terrorist attacks in cities outside the occupation zone. The militants' activities also spread to neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

A state of emergency has been in effect in three Nigerian states since May 14, 2013. Despite the efforts of the Nigerian security forces and their coalition partners, by January 2015 most of Borno State had come under Islamist control, and the presidential elections scheduled for February 2015 were in jeopardy.

International efforts to combat Boko Haram

The intensification of Boko Haram's terrorist activities has forced the governments of the countries of the Lake Chad basin, as well as the entire international community, to join forces in the fight against the group.

At the initiative of French President Francois Hollande, on May 17, 2014, a “mini-summit” was held in Paris with the participation of the heads of five states in the region - Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, as well as representatives of the United States, Great Britain and the European Union. The meeting participants agreed on a unified plan of action against the Islamists, including intelligence coordination, information exchange, central control of deployed assets, border surveillance, military presence in the vicinity of Lake Chad, as well as the possibility of intervention in at the slightest chance danger.

On July 23, in the capital of Niger, Niamey, a meeting was held between the ministers of defense, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad, following which a decision was made to create an interstate military unit for the joint fight against Boko Haram. Each country party to the treaty pledged to provide 700 soldiers. Benin later joined the coalition.

On January 16, 2015, in response to a call from the authorities of Cameroon, which was attacked by militants, a military operation began against the Islamists of the Chadian army. To assist the Cameroonian army, 400 units of military transport equipment were transferred to the territory of this country from N'Djamena. Having pushed the Islamists out of Cameroon, Chadian army units continued military operations in Nigeria together with the armed forces of coalition partners.

By April, coalition troops managed to achieve success in the fight against the group and liberate it from militants most territories in northeastern Nigeria. On July 27, 2015, representatives of the Nigerian army announced that Borno State had completely come under their control, but until the end of 2016, the militants held part of the Sambisa forest region (the last Boko Haram base in Sambisa was liquidated only on December 23 ). At the same time, the militants continue to resist in guerrilla warfare mode, systematically organizing sabotage and terrorist attacks both in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

On March 6, 2015, the African Union approved the formation of a regional force to combat Boko Haram militants. It was decided to staff the contingent of the Joint Multinational Operational Forces with 10 thousand military personnel from Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad. The headquarters is located in the capital of Chad - N'Djamena. On July 30, Nigerian General Elijah Abbach, who had previously led military operations of the Nigerian army against rebel groups in the Niger Delta region, was appointed commander of the contingent on July 30. In September 2015, the formation of the contingent was completed. Its total strength was 10,500 people (8,500 military personnel, as well as 2,000 police, gendarmerie and civilians).

On October 14, 2015, in response to increasing terrorist attacks in Northern Cameroon, US authorities authorized the dispatch of a detachment of 300 military personnel to Cameroon to assist the Cameroonian army in repelling Islamist aggression. The main task of American soldiers in Cameroon was declared to be conducting reconnaissance operations.

On August 23, 2016, the Nigerian armed forces announced that during the next military operation against Boko Haram, its leader Abubakar Shekau was mortally wounded, but this information was not subsequently confirmed.

The humanitarian crisis and the process of reconstruction of war-torn areas

As a result of Boko Haram's terror in Nigeria since 2009, more than 20 thousand people have died, and about 2.3 million more have become displaced persons and refugees. On June 11, following a meeting of the presidents of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, as well as the Minister of Defense of Cameroon, it was decided to establish an urgent program for the development of territories affected by Boko Haram militants. The program budget is $66 million.

January 12, 2017 Deputy Secretary General UN Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Stephen O'Brien estimated the number of hungry people in the region suffering from Boko Haram terror at 7.1 million, noting that Last year it has at least doubled. O'Brien also said that 10.7 million people in four African countries are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internally displaced people is 2.4 million, of which 1.5 million are children. According to him, about $1.5 billion will be required for humanitarian operations in the Lake Chad basin in 2017 - twice as much as last year.

On May 30, 2017, representatives of the Nigerian army announced that 1,400 people suspected of links to Boko Haram are currently being held in temporary detention centers. Some of them were captured as a result of military operations. After completion of the investigation, persons who have not committed serious crimes may be released and included in state program social integration former members sects

Struggle for leadership and rumors of a possible split

The rivalry for leadership of the group between Shekau and Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who was openly supported by the Islamic State, gave rise to rumors about a possible split of Boko Haram into two factions. In particular, al-Barnawi called on the militants to abandon attacks on fellow Muslims and concentrate on the fight against military personnel involved in the counter-terrorism operation, Christians and citizens of Western countries.

In turn, on January 12, 2017, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brooke Zerihoun confirmed at a meeting of the UN Security Council that since October 2016, extremists have indeed become more likely to attack military targets and security forces. At the same time, extremists did not abandon their traditional tactics of terror against civilians, carrying out a double terrorist attack on December 9 at a city market in Madagali, a small city in the north of Adamawa State (two explosions killed 57 people).

2014 turned out to be an extremely eventful year. The annexation of Crimea, the beginning of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, an armed coup in Thailand, Operation “Indestructible Rock” in the Gaza Strip, the rapid advance of ISIS* in Syria and Iraq. Against this background, the mass abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls in April 2014 by the little-known Boko Haram group * was somewhat drowned in the streams of information noise. Meanwhile, the group is one of the burning hotbeds of extremism on the dark continent and global threat for all of West Africa.

As background, it is worth talking a little about Islam in Africa. The first Muslims crossed into modern-day Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea to find refuge in modern-day Ethiopia as early as the early 7th century. The majority of Muslims in Africa are Sunni, but African Islam is not static and is constantly changing under the influence of social, economic, and political conditions. It is often adapted to African cultural contexts and perspectives, and forms various new forms.

The spread of Islam in West Africa is directly associated with the so-called Fulani (or Fula) Jihad. The Fula originate in the Senegal River valley, where they founded their kingdoms. Until about the beginning of the 9th century, they continued their migration to the regions of Bundu, Bamboo, Diomboko, Kaarta and Bagan. And around the 11th century AD, Islam took root among them.

From 1750 to 1900 they participated in large quantities holy wars (jihad) under the banner of Islam. In the first half of the 19th century, the Fula conquered two important empires. One was based in Masina, controlled by Timbuktu, the other - Sokoto, included the Hausa city-states (Hausaland, northern Nigeria, southern Niger), part of Borno and Western Cameroon.

As a result, the Caliphate of Sokoto was created - an Islamic state with Sharia law, a caliph and emirs. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sokoto was included in the British Protectorate of Nigeria, but the regional elite retained their power. Currently, the Sultans of Sokoto retain their power as the spiritual heads of Muslims in Nigeria.

Having been dormant for a long time, Islam in Nigeria began to gain strength since the end of the 20th century. The 1963 census showed that 26 percent of Nigerians were Muslim, 62 percent were Christian and 14 percent practiced traditional beliefs. However, since 1990, Islam began to permeate daily life Nigerians. Public meetings began and ended with Muslim prayer, and the majority of the population knew at least several Arabic prayers and five pillars of religion. In 2009, the number of Muslims exceeded the number of Christians.

Large numbers of Muslims live in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Swahili Coast and much of West Africa. There are also fewer, but still significant numbers of immigrants living in South Africa.

In the context of the general Islamization of the region, the trend towards an increase in the number of radical Islamic groups is not surprising. One of them was Boko Haram, founded by Mohammed Yusuf around 2002 in the city of Maiduguri.

The official name of the group is “Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad” (translated from Arabic - Society of Adherents to the Dissemination of the Teachings of the Prophet and Jihad). It received the name “Boko Haram” (Hausa Boko haram) from the residents of the city of Maiduguri, in which Yusuf built a religious complex that included a mosque and a school. “Boko Haram” translates to “Western education is forbidden” or “Western education is sinful.” Although the stated purpose of the building was to teach religion to children, the complex was used to recruit supporters.

The main goal of the organization is to introduce Sharia law throughout Nigeria and eradicate the Western way of life. According to members of the group, any public and political activity ties associated with Western values ​​should be prohibited, including: voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers, secular education. The government of Nigeria, from Boko Haram's point of view, is "corrupted" by Western ideas and consists of "non-believers", even if the president is technically Muslim, so it must be overthrown and the country must be governed by Sharia law, stricter than what is in force in the northern states of Nigeria.

In 2009, an attempt was made to revolt, the goal of which was to create an Islamic state in the northern part of Nigeria, governed by Sharia law. However, it was suppressed, the Maiduguri base was stormed, and Mohammed Yusuf was arrested by the police and later died under unclear circumstances.

April 14, 2014 - the group kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a high school in the village of Chibok (Borno State). The leader of the organization, Abubakar Shekau, explained the attack on the educational institution by saying that “girls should leave school and get married. On August 21, the group’s fighters captured the city of Buni Yadi (Yobe). At the same time, the group announced the creation of a caliphate on the territory under its control.

By early 2015, Boko Haram had captured an area in the northeast the size of Belgium. However, over the following months, as a result of a military operation by Nigerian forces supported foreign mercenaries and troops from neighboring countries inflicted serious damage on the terrorists.

The bulk of Boko Haram militants are representatives of the Kanuri people; Despite frequent forays outside the Kanuri ethnic territory, attempts to gain a foothold in them were unsuccessful. Due to the incomprehensibility of the Kanuri language for most Nigerians, the Hausa and Fulani languages ​​are widely used in the movement.

On this moment The group operates in addition to Nigeria in parts of Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Characteristic feature This organization is characterized by excessive cruelty and bloodthirstiness; as a result of the actions of Boko Haram, according to rough estimates, about 20,000 people were killed and about 2.3 million more people were forced to flee their homes. Estimates of the group's size vary widely. Most sources estimate it to be between 7-10 thousand people, but there are also more radical estimates: up to 15 thousand.

Sources of financing are generally quite classic: kidnappings, human trafficking, drug trafficking. In addition, the group is believed to receive funding from a number of corrupt elites who use its capabilities for their own purposes.

Boko Haram was traditionally thought to have close ties to al-Qaeda* in the Maghreb and al-Shabaab*, but in March 2015 they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State*, changing their name to " West African province of the Islamic State"(Islamic State's West Africa Province, ISWAP).

A number of factors make it difficult to combat this group. Along with the classic problems for Africa in building a state, overcoming ethnic disunity, total poverty and lack of education of the population, there are also global trends in the growing popularity of radical Islam. All this is superimposed on the deplorable picture for Nigeria of falling oil prices, which practically neutralizes the ability of the corrupt and weakened state mechanism for active, organized resistance.

Although, it must be said, among analysts there are already for a long time There is a simmering debate as to why Nigeria's large army was so weak, especially in contrast to its soldiers playing a major role in the retaliatory strikes in West Africa in civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

It is believed that the Boko Haram militants are opposed by approximately 35 thousand troops from 4 states (Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon). But despite the significant numerical advantage, these forces are clearly insufficient. Also, in March 2015, the African Union supported the creation of a regional association to fight Boko Haram, numbering more than eight thousand people.

By 햄방이 - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39805121

The United States also has limited participation in the fight against Boko Haram. A small contingent of troops is stationed in Cameroon, and several dozen Green Berets (force special operations US Army) are sent to Chad and Nigeria to train the armed forces of these countries. The UK provides approximately the same level of assistance.

There is no consensus regarding the global danger of Boko Haram for the entire continent (in the context of the general Islamization of Africa). On the one hand, a geographically isolated and underdeveloped group from sub-Saharan Africa is unlikely to directly threaten countries outside its region.

On the other hand, the continent is simply dotted with pockets of instability and rotting ulcers of Islamic terrorism, and if you try to simply mothball the situation, at one point it may be too late. The lack of strong players in this field also adds to the pessimism. Ironically, what were once the most developed and powerful states on the continent are themselves the sources of the greatest danger. Libya, torn apart - the epicenter of instability in the Maghreb, Egypt - is mired in the fight with the Muslim Brotherhood and militants in the Sinai Peninsula, Nigeria - was unable to cope with its own demons, and South Africa is no longer the powerful "African Lion" that amazed the world economically. height.

*Organizations are recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia

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