It is currently controlled by the Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA). The spectrum of violence represented by these groups is vast, from Jihadists who bomb train stations to financial institutions that transfer funds. The northeast of Nigeria is the hotbed of militant Islamist activity in the West African country. Yusuf established the group in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno, Nigeria. On 19th February 2018, ISWA attacked Leah’s school and kidnapped 110 schoolgirls. The group also killed hundreds of people by detonating bombs in large towns and cities, including Abuja. Boko Haram also known as the Islamic State in West Africa or Islamic State’s West Africa Province (abbreviated as ISWA or ISWAP) is a jihadist militant organization based in northeastern Nigeria, also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. As a courtesy to private researchers, TRAC offers a discounted rate to individuals who are subscribing from a personal email address and paying with a personal credit/debit card. The editors of TRAC may modify these entries at any time and welcome comments and suggested corrections or additions. Some groups that originally engaged in violence but have since become legitimate political parties are included to provide historical perspective. In mid-March, ISIS claimed ISWA militants fired three Grad rockets at Diffa airport. The Nigerian government initially responded by pursuing a strategy of military confrontation. ISIS later published images of what it said were the Grad launches. Islamic State West Africa (ISWA / ISWAP), also known as ISWAP is an active group formed c. 2016. The Nigeria-based jihadist group known as Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016. Reuters said ISWA has over twice the number of fighters owned by Boko Haram and may pose a greater threat than the group it split from. ISWA is led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram’s founder, Muhammed Yusuf, whose killing by the police in 2009 sparked an Islamist … Borno state is the epicenter of the Boko Haram and ISWA insurgency. The recruitment of children under 15 into fighting forces–made even more heinous when they are weaponized as human bombs–is a war crime under international humanitarian law. Considering Claimed Attacks: Islamic State's Hidden Narrative. One of Boko Haram’s deadliest attacks occurred on January 20, 2012, when more than 185 people lost their lives after group members launched coordinated attacks in the city of Kano, in Kano state, targeting police stations and government offices. If you choose to subscribe at the end of the trial, the trial cost will be deducted from the price of your subscription. After that incident, Boko Haram appeared to be disbanded, or at least inactive, until the next year, when a video was made public in which Yusuf’s deputy, Abubakar Shekau, declared that he was the group’s new leader and vowed to avenge the deaths of Yusuf and the others. Signup for our mailing list to receive a free incident report from TRAC. Barnawi also leads a Boko Haram faction, but in addition it’s ISWA. This did little to end the attacks, though government forces were eventually somewhat successful in driving the group from larger cities. In response, the government launched its largest-scale military offensive against Boko Haram to date, employing thousands of troops on the ground and a campaign of air strikes to combat the group. ISWA also reportedly gained a new leader, Abu Abdullah ibn Umar al-Barnawi, in 2019. The next year the group split, with one faction retaining that name and the other reverting back to the original appellation. It is also known as Wilayat Garb Ifrqiya, meaning "West African Province", also called "Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) or Islamic State’s West African Province (ISWAP)". However, on 07 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).Fracturing within Boko Haram began on 03 August 2016, when the Islamic State (IS) from ash Sham announced that Habib Yusuf (aka Abu Musab al-Barnawi) was the new Wali (governor) of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA). The group drew worldwide condemnation after it perpetrated a mass kidnapping of more than 275 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in Borno state in April, which generated an increase in offers of international assistance to Nigeria as the country attempted to quell Boko Haram’s acts of terror. They made exceptions for people working for … After its 2010 resurrection, Boko Haram’s membership and organizational structure were not clear. The conflict has lasted a decade, during which time the militants have killed … Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The attacks left more than 50 people dead and destroyed numerous police, military, and government buildings. Although the original name of the group is Jamāʿat Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Daʿawah wa al-Jihād (often translated as “Association of the People of the Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad” or “People Committed to the Prophet’s Teaching for Propagation and Jihad”), the name Boko Haram, which means “Westernization is sacrilege,” was given to the group by neighbours based on how they viewed its lifestyle and teachings. Compared to the Shekau-led faction of Boko Haram, ISWA has tended to avoid killing Muslim civilians. One Islamic militant group, Nigeria-based. Boko Haram came to international attention when it kidnapped 276 Nigerian schoolgirls, most of whom were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters, from the town of Chibok in 2014. The tide appeared to turn in the fight against Boko Haram in February 2015 when a successful offensive was planned and launched by troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries, which proved effective in uprooting Boko Haram from much of the area it had previously held. TRAC is a unique, comprehensive resource for the study of political violence of all kinds. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, Containment, allegiance to ISIL, and division, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boko-Haram, Council on Foreign Relations - Nigeria’s Battle With Boko Haram, Stanford - Center for International Security and Cooperation - Boko Haram. In 2013 it was apparent that Boko Haram had taken over many rural local government areas in northeastern states, where they were able to gain strength. Vincent Foucher : En 2016, Boko Haram a connu une scission qui a donné naissance à l’État islamique en Afrique de l’Ouest (ISWA) et à la faction fidèle à Shekau. In May the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on individuals in Boko Haram, freezing assets and issuing travel bans and an arms embargo. You can try TRAC for 7 days with this trial. Boko Haram was quickly rebranded as Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), with Shekau as its governor. The next month Boko Haram launched a series of coordinated military-style attacks in the town of Bama, in Borno state. This, in turn, was popularly interpreted as “Western education is a sin” or “Western education is forbidden.” Ideologically, Boko Haram is against Westernization, which it views as negatively impacting Islamic values. Islamic State Leadership Structure 2020Shekau v. Islamic StateSince 2002, Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad, known as Boko Haram, had engaged in guerrilla warfare across the north of Nigeria. Such methods heightened tensions in a country already on edge from Boko Haram’s attacks and elicited widespread condemnation from human rights groups. Multiple users within govermental/military, corporate, and media, as well as colleges and universities, receive pro-rated subscription discounts based on the number of users. I hope it’s clear, because this post has taken far too long to write and therefore contains too many words, although on the upside I was forced to refresh my knowledge of Boko Haram, however debatable that might be. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) Boko Haram or Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad (JASDJ) is an Islamist terrorist group operating in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. For multiple users rates contact TRAC. Hence, TRAC cannot and does not warrant the accuracy of the entries in its database. The ruins of a street market in Kano, Nigeria, days after Boko Haram launched a series of coordinated attacks in the city that killed at least 185 people in January 2012. Unlike Boko Haram, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) is on a mission to win over the local people. In August 2014 Boko Haram declared the area under its control to be an Islamic state. However, given the group’s informal structure, the sanctions had no discernible effect on Boko Haram’s operations. There is often confusion in the reporting on the region, with some accounts referring to the ISWA jihadists in Rann and elsewhere as members of Boko Haram. TRAC is in no way attempting to determine whether groups or individuals are terrorists -- only to convey reported information about their activities and official State status. You are currently only seeing 1% of the 10,000-plus pieces of expert insights and analyses available with a TRAC subscription. THE Islamic State in West African, ISWA, a faction that split out of the Boko Haram sect, is in control of territories in the north-eastern part of the country, according to a report by Reuters. Learn about the efforts of the United Nations to stop sexual violence and enslavement as a tool of terror by various extremist groups. Boko HaramThe group Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad, known as Boko Haram, is an extremist Islamic group in Nigeria that has engaged in guerrilla warfare across the north of Nigeria since 2002. The attacks occurred primarily in Nigeria’s northeast, north-central, and central states and typically focused on police, military, and government targets, as well as Christian churches and schools and Muslim individuals who were critical of the group. Overview of the United Nations' efforts to combat the use of sexual violence as an instrument of terror by militant groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL; also known as ISIS). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Measures to Suppress and Eradicate Boko Haram by James Thorpe ODU Model United Nations Society 1 Introduction: An African Continental Issue Since it was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA), more commonly known as Boko Haram, has been a disaster for the people of Northeast Nigeria. Yusuf and other leaders were arrested by the military and handed over to the police. The group continued its attacks and expanded the territory it occupied. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. On March 23rd, fifty Nigerian soldiers were killed in an ambush in eastern Borno by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).. A month after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram, schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, appearing in a still from a video released by the Islamist militant group on May 12, 2014. Where Boko Haram has won a reputation for savagery, ISWA is digging wells, giving out seeds and fertilizer, and providing safe pasture for herders in the Lake Chad basin. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Areas in Nigeria where Boko Haram was most active. YOU MUST HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO ACCESS THE REST OF THIS CONTENT. Security reports indicated that Boko Haram had links with other terrorist networks such as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib (AQIM) and al-Shabaab in Somalia. The ensuing Joint Military Task Force operation left more than 700 Boko Haram members dead and destroyed the mosque that the group used as its headquarters. Violent events linked to Boko Haram and its offshoot the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) on Borno State’s main roadways have spiked almost sixfold (to 67 episodes) in the past year. Boko Haram continued to target schools, such as in the February attack on a college in Yobe state where some 50 male students were killed and the college was virtually destroyed. When the police could not bring the situation under control, the army was brought in. In the summer of 2010, the group began to assassinate individuals, typically police officers, and also attacked larger targets. Background. Nigerian Islamic rights group, MURIC, accused of receiving $200,000 from Boko Haram affiliate Nigeria-based Islamic rights group, Muslim Rights Concern, has been accused of collecting $200,000 from Boko Haram affiliate, Islamic State for West Africa Province, to destabilise the country. Copyright © 2021 TRAC - All rights reserved. The group also released more than 100 inmates from a prison in the town. The attack follows years of insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), in the Lake Chad Basin. On March 4th, Nigerian authorities announced that six Nigerian soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base by Boko Haram. 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