As we bring you this month’s conflict briefing, the Boko Haram insurgency shows no sign of stopping. Over the last few weeks, there have been reports of further kidnappings, bombs in Abuja and elsewhere, and multiple clashes between Boko Haram and the military.

Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has rightly spoken of the need for a new approach to the counter-insurgency, focused on tackling the root causes of insecurity, particularly under-development and inadequate education. He has also called for community diplomacy and peace-building, engagement with civil society, efforts to win public support for the counter-insurgency, and steps to avoid harming civilians during military operations. We believe this approach could be decisive in tackling the insurgency if properly implemented and sustained.

This month’s analysis includes a ground-breaking study of the reasons young people join Boko Haram by Freedom Onuoha, a warning from John Campbell on Boko Haram’s seizure of territory, and from the Testimonial Archive Project revealing people’s views towards the security forces in the north-east, among other important contributions.

Andrew Noakes
Coordinator
Nigeria Security Network

Our Analysis

A Boko Haram enclave in northeastern Nigeria?
John Campbell draws attention to Boko Haram’s successes in taking over territory in north-east Nigeria. Noting that Boko Haram’s flag has been hoisted in several villages, he argues that the insurgency has been seeking to destroy all vestiges of government authority in areas like Gwoza, Borno State. He warns that Maiduguri could be the insurgents’ next target. However, he also notes that Boko Haram do not appear to have taken over any governance functions in the areas they occupy.

Why do youth join Boko Haram?
Freedom Onuoha has published a ground-breaking study of the reasons young people join Boko Haram, based on survey data gathered by the CLEEN Foundation in 2013. The report, entitled “Why do youth join Boko Haram?”, finds that poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and weak family structures make or contribute to making young men vulnerable to radicalization. It recommends monitoring and regulation of religious preaching, strengthening education, job training and job creation programs, robust programmes to aid destitute children, peace education, and anti-corruption measures.

Rejoinder to ‘why fear Boko Haram’
In this article, Hannah Hoechner warns against assumptions regarding Boko Haram recruitment from West African madrassas. She argues that, although many have said Boko Haram’s ranks are filled with almajiri graduates, there is little empirical evidence to support this. Crucially, she says, from a policy-making perspective this suggests easy answers where they do not exist.

Saratu Abiola’s Testimonal Archive Project interviews a woman from north-east Nigeria about her experiences of the insurgency. She shows how the war has caused economic activity to grind to a halt, and reveals how her calls to security forces go unanswered. She says people do not trust the security forces, as they arrest innocent civilians. She also reveals how Boko Haram mainly recruit by force.

Insurgency prolonged: Nigeria’s lack of strategic adaptation and the rising Boko Haram death toll
In this joint article with Rafael Serrano, Zacharias Pieri provides a critical analysis of the Nigerian military’s symmetric approach to an asymmetric conflict, while also drawing attention to under-development in the north and corruption as contributing factors to the ongoing insurgency. He argues for renewed leadership to tackle corruption in Nigeria, and calls for the authorities to work with local civil society partners and neighbouring countries to tackle the insurgents.

Key points from this briefing

• Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and weak family structures make or contribute to making young men vulnerable to radicalization in Nigeria.
• Monitoring and regulation of religious preaching, strengthening education, job training and job creation programs, robust programmes to aid destitute children, peace education, and anti-corruption measures will be important for tackling radicalization.
• Boko Haram have been seizing territory in north-east Nigeria but they do not appear to have taken over governance functions.
• There is little empirical evidence to suggest almajiri students are filling the ranks of the insurgency.
• People in the north-east lack confidence in the security forces, who are perceived to target innocent people and fail to respond to attacks.
• Economic activity has suffered as a result of the insurgency.
• Boko Haram are recruiting by force.
• Corruption remains one of the main challenges undermining Nigeria’s response to the insurgency.