1. LOOKING FOR THE CAUSES OF THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY Religious Conflict in Nigeria MATHIAS DE BAETS (S0215946)

2. TURNING OUR ATTENTION TOWARDS NIGERIA Introduction

3. The Chibok Schoolgirls Kidnapping In the night of the 14 th and 15 th of April 2014, an organisation known as Boko Haram attacked the town of Chibok, Nigeria During the attack, Boko Haram managed to kidnap 276 schoolgirls from this secondary school

4. International Outrage Parents of the abducted schoolgirls used social media to complain about the lack of adequate response from the Nigerian government Protest rapidly gained attention and the story of what had happened began to spread internationally International media attention for the mass kidnapping spread awareness of the existence of Boko Haram

5. ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF AN EXTREMIST ORGANISATION Boko Haram

6. Beginning of Boko Haram In 2002 Mohammed Yusuf founded the sect Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad, more commonly known as Boko Haram Islamist sect with very radical ideas:  Opposition to Westernisation (cf. Boko Haram, meaning ‘Western education is prohibited’)  Establishment of an Islamic state or khalifate in Nigeria  Strict form of sharia law During seven years, the organisation kept a low profile and did not use violence extensively

7. 2009 Uprising On the 26 th of July 2009 Boko Haram members started attacking police stations and governmental buildings throughout the northeast of Nigeria The Nigerian government responded by dispatching armed forces, who are currently accused of summarily executing captured Boko Haram members On the 29 th of July, Nigerian security forces had quelled the hostilities, but around a thousand people had died in the process

8. Consequences of the 2009 Uprising Boko Haram’s leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed while in police custody and he was succeeded by Abubakar Shekau The Nigerian government banned Boko Haram and it was generally assumed that Boko Haram had been crushed…

9. Boko Haram Insurgency It was only the start of a full-scale insurgency, however In September of 2010, Boko Haram manages to free 721 of their members from prison Boko Haram quickly regrouped under their new leader, Abubakar Shekau

10. Boko Haram Insurgency In 2011, Boko Haram started to regularly commit attacks and bombings:  Main targets are police forces and In 2012, Boko Haram gradually shifted its attention towards Christian targets:  For the second year in a row, Boko Haram manages to attack and bomb Christian churches on Christmas Day  It is estimated that Boko Haram have killed around 800 people in 2012

11. Boko Haram Insurgency In 2013 Boko Haram also started to target schools and colleges more frequently The violence continues to escalate and in 2014 more than 9000 people are killed due to/by Boko Haram, including 6000 civilians Boko Haram continues attacking innocent civilians in 2015, already leaving thousands of civilians dead or displaced

12. A SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE Nigeria: a Country Divided

13. Different Ethnicities

14. Ethnic Divide in Nigeria Most African countries are an amalgam of different ethnicities due to colonialism Nigeria’s population is made up out of more than 250 ethnic groups Three major ethnic groups:  Hausa-Fulani (29% of the population) in the north  Yoruba (21%) in the southwest  Igbo (18%) in the southeast Most Boko Haram members are ethnic Kanuri (4%), who are originally from the northeast

15. Economic Production

16. Poverty Levels

17. Economic Divide in Nigeria Significant difference in economic production between the north and the south Enormous impact of Nigeria’s petroleum industry:  Oil and gas reserves are concentrated around the Niger Delta, in the south of the country  Petroleum sector represents around 35% of the GDP and petroleum exports represents over 90% of Nigeria’s exports revenue Low economic production of the north is reflected in increased poverty of the local population

18. Religious Divide in Nigeria Nigeria lies right on the historical border between Islam and Christianity meet, which results in a majority- Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south Nigeria’s overall population is split fifty- fifty between Muslims and Christians

19. Political Divide in Nigeria Two parties dominate Nigeria’s political landscape:  The center-left All Progressives Congress (APC)  The center-right People's Democratic Party (PDP) The north tends to vote for the APC, while the south traditionally votes for the PDP This political split can be seen in the last two presidential elections

20. 2011 Presidential Elections 2015 Presidential Elections Results of the Presidential Elections

21. Nigeria: a Country Divided Nigeria is divided between an impoverished, majority-Muslim north and a oil-rich, Christian south Ethnicity still plays a significant political role:  Party loyalty is still deeply influenced by ethnicity  By consequence, parties only look after the interest of their traditional electorate Political parties continue to emphasise differences, e.g. ethnic or religious, to profit electorally

22. CAUSES OF THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY IN A DIVIDED COUNTRY Conclusion

23. Causes for the Emergence… Religious extremism thrives on the frustration and the poor and badly-educated young in the north of Nigeria Prominence of the Kanuri ethnicity within the Boko Haram ranks is remarkable, however this does not necessarily mean that we can speak of a tribal insurgency

24. … and the Continuation of the Insurgency Political parties rather point fingers at each others in order to profit politically:  Boko Haram allegedly used as a pretext to postpone the 2015 presidential election  Opposition accused the government of intentionally not doing enough to quell the insurgency  Governor accused of financing Boko Haram Irrelevant who is responsible, especially for the civilians who are living in fear for Boko Haram

25. Light at the End of the Tunnel? Nigerian army recorded a string of military successes over Boko Haram in recent months In May of 2015, the Nigerian military has succeeded in liberating hundreds of women of girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, however hundreds of girls are still missing… Only the future will tell if Nigeria can properly handle the Boko Haram Insurgency and manage the divide between its northern and southern states …