A Deadly Update: Boko Haram
As of late, most international news has surrounded the refugees fleeing from Syria and the Pope’s visits to several states around the globe. Not much has been circulated about Boko Haram, the extremist Islamic group that has been terrorizing Nigeria for several years now. Over the course of these past few years, Boko Haram has used terror and violence in order to try and dominate the political landscape of Nigeria and it is estimated that the group has killed more than 17,000 people from it’s inception in 2009, as well as displacing 2.1 million people. Unfortunately, on Sunday evening Boko Haram struck again in a deadly bombing that resulted in the death of more than 100 people in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. This time the bombings occurred during a period of high traffic for the city, as it was an Islamic holiday during the week. Many people travel to the city for this holiday, and therefore, it was an ideal time for Boko Haram to attack the city and inflict the most damage. According to the New York Times, the insurgents came in as traders and melted into the populated crowd, making it easier for them to surprise attack the city.
This is the most violent attack in months, and it raises several questions. The Nigerian government has asserted that Boko Haram has been growing weaker and that the military has been gaining the advantage over them, but it seems as if this recent bombing says just the opposite. The government has also asserted that the group should be eradicated by the years end, but now it seems as if this may not hold true. However, the Nigerian government has a history of making promises it cannot keep; the more than 200 Christian schoolgirls abducted in April of 2014 have still not been found almost a year and a half after their abduction, and immediately after the abduction took place, many Nigerians felt the government was not doing enough to rescue the girls.
Currently, the government is in talks with the extremist group in order to find the girls, but who knows if this will yield any results? Boko Haram has already used many girls for suicide bombings, and it seems as if getting the schoolgirls back will be a difficult feat to manage, even with US help and these “talks.” Furthermore, the president has conceded that the government continues to have no knowledge about the whereabouts of the schoolgirls.The only apparent hope is that the Nigerian military has managed to save hundreds of girls, and perhaps, will be able to continue doing this for the Christian schoolgirls and the thousands of people that have already been victims of Boko Haram. It seems as if the Nigerian government is continuing to struggle with keeping this jihadist group under control, and that their reign of terror will continue unless drastic measures are taken. The bombing yesterday seems to have been a not so subtle reminder of the power and terror that Boko Haram can wield over the Nigerian population, and the power and terror it will continue to reign over the population if something is not done very soon. There is no doubt that the situation is dire, and I have no doubt that these sorts of attacks will continue over the course of the next few months.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nigeria-talks-extremists-kidnapped-girls-33795436
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/06/world/africa/nigeria-abducted-girls/