Is Boko Haram In Decline After Suffering Series Of Defeats?
Boko Haram is a group of Islamic fundamentalists who have been spreading terror from their base in Northern Nigeria since 2002. However, the group has suffered a number of defeats in recent weeks, sparking hopes that they may be in decline.
Boko Haram was originally said to be allied with al-Qaeda, but in 2015, the group formally announced their allegiance to ISIS. Since they began the armed insurgency in 2009, they have been responsible for over 20,000 deaths and have displaced 2.3 million people in the region, creating a humanitarian crisis on a huge scale in the region.
However, the tide is being to turn against them.
Over the last few days, Boko Haram had their power base in Nigeria taken out by military raids, and several hostages have been freed. It has also emerged that the group’s own successes in spreading terror throughout the region have backfired, leaving many Boko Haram supporters desperately short of food. On top of these defeats, the Evening Standard reported that there is renewed hope that 219 girls taken by the terrorists are close to being found after the military defeats suffered by Boko Haram weakened their position.
The Nigerian army has continued recent advances against Boko Haram and targeted a number of bases in Boko Haram’s “spiritual base” of the Alargarno forest region of Nigeria. Acting on a number of tips, they hit Boko Haram camps in seven locations in the forest: Mosa, Ariwuzumari, Kagalmari, Missene, Joba, Yajiwa, and Sansan. In a press release, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman of the Nigerian army described the operations as a success, claiming the army had cleared all of the camps and confirming the fatalities of numerous members of Boko Haram. Colonel Usman also claims a large number of logistical supplies here collected, including “31 motorcycles, assorted foodstuffs, a donkey and a pick up van.” Additionally, weapons and ammunition were recovered during the raids.
The ongoing military operations against Boko Haram also saw 63 captives killed after the Nigerian army liberated villages in Northern Nigeria. Five Boko Haram fighters were killed during this operation. These victories are part of a number of military victories that the Nigerian army, along with allies from neighbours Chad, Cameron, Niger, and Benin, have reported against the Islamic extremists in recent months. The forces from the five African states have combined to fight off the threat of Boko Haram, who are trying to establish an Islamic State in the region.
The defeats have led to renewed hope that the remaining 219 girls out of the 276 abducted from Chibok in April 2014 can be found and rescued from the despotic group.
[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]
The 2.3 million people that Boko Haram have displaced include almost all of the farm workers in the region, meaning that the fertile ground used for farming has been left fallow. On top of that, cattle herders have been re-routing to avoid travelling through regions controlled by Boko Haram, feeling it is preferable to travel many miles out of their way than risk attracting the attention of the insurgents as they seek to feed themselves. The markets have closed as people have become too scared of Boko Harams suicide bombers.
The search for food is believed to have been pushing Boko Haram deeper in Cameron and away from their base in Nigeria. This has, in turn, allowed the coalition against Boko Haram to be more aggressive in destroying the power base of the terrorist group.
[photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images]
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