Boko Haram continues to carry out attacks across north-east Nigeria and would appear to be gaining momentum. This month alone has been characterised by widespread violence with suggestions that up to 2,000 people died in a single attack in Baga on the 7 January. It may, however, be impossible to independently verify this figure due to a lack of clear information.

The porous border between Nigeria and Cameroon continues to be utilised by Boko Haram as a safe haven and transport route for fighters and supplies. Seemingly, Boko Haram has no regard for national boundaries and whilst the majority of attacks have taken place in Nigeria, the possibility of continued cross border attacks should not be ruled out. The most recent atrocity which occurred on the 18 January in Cameroon in which 80 people were abducted would explain the calls by African heads of state for an African Union led offensive to combat Boko Haram once and for all.

Upcoming elections continue to create mounting anxiety as escalation of violence by Boko Haram looks set to intensify. As with previous elections, ethnic and religious identities are emphasised with Muhammadu Buhari being perceived to be the Muslim presidential hopeful of the north and incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan as the Christian president of the south. However, with one million displaced persons in the north unable to vote, this could have significant implications on the outcome of the elections.

Ola Akinfolarin
Assistant Coordinator
NSN

Our analysis

In this piece, Ryan Cummings questions whether it is indeed credible to believe that Boko Haram killed as many as 2,000 people in a single act of mass violence on 7 January. The attack on Baga as well as surrounding towns looks as if it could be Boko Haram’s deadliest act in a catalogue of increasingly heinous attacks carried out by the insurgency. However, the quoted death toll of 2,000 may not be specific to Baga alone but rather a cumulative figure derived from a spate of Boko Haram attacks which occurred between 3 and 7 January.

Emily Mellgard examines the legacy of Boko Haram attacks that have taken place in Cameroon. On 18 January, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked multiple villages among the Mandera Mountains in the Mayo-Tsnaga Department of Cameroon’s Far North Region. At least 4 people were reported dead and 80 people were abducted, 50 of which were children.

Boko Haram has conducted post border raids since at least 2013 in Cameroon. As military pressure on Boko Haram activities in Nigeria escalates, it can be expected that they will continue to use the border as a base from which to launch attacks.

Boko Haram: Jihad is local
In this interview, Zacharias Pieri discusses the latest ideological and tactical developments of Boko Haram. The mass abductions of the girls in Chibok and the use of young girls as suicide bombers would indicate that Boko Haram is in a new phase and their strategies have changed. On an ideological level however, the movement has remained consistent since 2009 in trying to create an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria. The Boko Haram ideology is also internationally enhanced and tied to the global growth of radical Islam, particularly in the form promoted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Boko Haram and the Ballot Box
Andrew Noakes analyses the potential impact of the Boko Haram insurgency on the February 14 presidential election as their campaign of terror continues in the northeast of Nigeria. Since June, the Islamic militant group has seized some 20,000 square miles in the three north eastern states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. This is problematic for presidential hopeful Muhammadu Buhari as support for APC comes largely from Nigeria’s majority Muslim northern states. One million plus people that have been forced to flee the militants in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa will not be allowed to vote as Nigeria’s election law only allows people to cast ballots in their local area; one million votes could make all the difference in what is set to be a close race.

In this piece, John Campbell provides a comparative analysis of the 2011 Nigerian elections and the upcoming 2015 elections. In 2011, sitting president Goodluck Jonathan was elected defeating Muhammadu Buhari. In many ways the 2011 elections set the stage for the current national crisis. As in 2015, the two presidential candidates are the Christian Jonathan and the Muslim Buhari. The campaigns were marred by ethnic and religious identities. As a result the election results further demarcated the country along the lines of a Muslim north and a Christian south. Once again in 2015, there are appeals to ethnic and religious identities but the question still remains as to how the one million displaced persons will vote – the mounting anxiety therefore surrounding the upcoming elections is not misplaced.

Key findings

• The reported 2,000 people massacred in Baga is yet to be verified.
• Boko Haram continues to utilise the porous border between Cameroon and Chad, using it as a transportation corridor for supplies and fighters.
• Religious and ethnic identities continue to play a prominent role in the upcoming elections. Buhari is seen as the Muslim president of the north and Jonathan, the Christian president of the south.
• With one million displaced persons potentially unable to vote in north eastern Nigeria, this may disadvantage Buhari.
• There is a strong possibility of increased levels of violence before and after the elections due to ethnic and religious identities that continue to play a prominent role.