3.1. Militant Islamists Area affected: predominantly active in the north-east, moving into north-western states. Root of the conflict: religious ideology, to impose the strictest version of Islam. Boko Haram and ISWAP militants are the protagonists of the vio- lence. Most events involving Islamist militants occurred in Bor- no state, where the group has traditionally been active. It once controlled an area of the size of Belgium but military campaig- ns have moved the militants back to local spots at the fringes of Lake Chad, the heart of Sambisa Forest, and local villages in Adamawa and Borno. ISWAP acts close to Lake Chad and Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forrest. But during 2022 the Islamists expanded their territorial operations zone, moving further sou- thward, increasing their activities in areas closer to the Federal Capital Territory and Niger State. Also, a militant Islamist group
called Ansaru, that broke away from Boko Haram in early 2012, has been active in the areas around Abuja. In this report we are not going to delve into jihadist Islamism be- cause there is already a lot of information about it in the media but the numbers are horrific. According to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, more than 41,600 people have been killed in Nigeria in the Boko Haram conflict, including civilians, Boko Haram fighters and state agents. Other sources speak about Boko Haram killed more than 65,000 people killed between 2011 and 2022 8 . The most targeted group has been Christians, who have seen their places of worship laid to waste, as well as often being at- tacked and killed along the highways and having their livelihood destroyed. However it is important to note that the fact that the terrorist groups operate in states with a predominantly Muslim population means that the violence has not only affected Chris- tians, but also Muslims.
BOKO HARAM: 2002 2009
The Boko Haram insurgency has displaced nearly 2.9 million people (UNHCR)
2014
2016
2020-2021
Gained attention with Chibok girls’ kidnappings
Nigerian armed forces announced a series of military victories against Boko Haram
Launched terrorist attacks
Split into two factions
Founded. Initially focu- sed on oppo- sing Western education
August 2021 over 3.000 Boko Haram members gave up their arms
STORY
Boko Haram victim: Maryamu Joseph was kidnapped by Boko Haram when she was only seven years old. Nine years later, in 2022, she managed to escape. “I suffered so much at the hands of these heartless, ruthless people. For nine years I saw the shedding of the innocent blood of my fellow Christians, killed by people who do not value life. Words cannot do justice to what I’ve gone through. They put the Christians in cages, like ani- mals. The first thing they did was forcefully convert us to Islam. They changed my name
to Aisha, a Muslim name, and warned us not to pray as Christians, or we would be killed. When I turned 10, they wanted to ma- rry me to one of their bosses, but I refused. As punishment, they locked me in a cage for an entire year. They brought food once a day and pushed it under the door without ever opening the cage. Right before my eyes, they took one of my si- blings and killed him. They cut off his head, then his hands, legs, and stomach. They treated my brother’s body just like a chicken before it’s cooked.”
Original articles: https://acninternational.org/boko-ha- ram-runaway-maryamus-story/
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