Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 - Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Boko Haram

United States Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 - Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Boko Haram, 19 June 2015, https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/usdos/2015/en/105457 [accessed 19 April 2024]
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aka Nigerian Taliban; Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad; Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad; People Committed to the Prophet's Teachings for Propagation and Jihad; Sunni Group for Preaching and Jihad

Description: Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 14, 2013, and led by Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram (BH) is a Nigeria-based group responsible for numerous attacks in northern and northeastern Nigeria that have killed thousands of people since its emergence in 2009. The group espouses a violent Sunni extremist ideology and at times has received assistance, including funds and training, from al Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Activities: Among its major attacks, BH was responsible for the August 26, 2011 bomb attack on the UN building in Abuja that killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens more. The group is also responsible for the January 2012 attacks in Kano, Nigeria, in which a wave of bomb attacks in the city killed more than 180 people in a single day.

Boko Haram has increasingly crossed Nigerian borders to evade pressure and conduct operations. In February 2013, Boko Haram was responsible for kidnapping seven French tourists in the Far North of Cameroon. In November 2013, Boko Haram members kidnapped a French priest in Cameroon. In December 2013, Boko Haram gunmen reportedly attacked civilians in several areas of northern Cameroon. Security forces from Chad and Niger also reportedly partook in skirmishes against suspected Boko Haram members along Nigeria's borders. In 2013, the group also kidnapped eight French citizens in northern Cameroon and obtained ransom payments for their release.

Boko Haram had its deadliest year in 2014, killing approximately 5,000 Nigerian civilians. The group also declared its own "Islamic state" in 2014 and began seizing territory from the Nigerian military throughout the northeast. In February 2014, BH killed dozens of people in two separate attacks, one on the farming village of Izghe in Borno state and the other on the fishing village of Doron Baga on Lake Chad. In April 2014, BH kidnapped at least 276 female students from a school in Chibok, Borno state. On June 2, 2014, at least two hundred people, mostly Christians, were massacred by BH militants in and around Gwoza, Borno state. On November 28, 2014, BH militants attacked the central mosque in Kano, Nigeria, killing approximately 120. BH conducted three attacks in Abuja and one attack in Lagos in 2014.

Strength: Membership is estimated to be several thousand fighters.

Location/Area of Operation: Northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, Lake Chad Basin, and southeast Niger.

Funding and External Aid: BH receives the bulk of its funding from criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom, bank robberies, and extortion.

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