April 3, 2015
Boko Haram
in the killing of foreign hostages. Ansaru has claimed no
Boko Haram, which emerged in Nigeria over a decade ago
recent attacks, and some analysts suggest that some
as a small Sunni Islamic sect advocating a strict
elements of the group may have been killed or reabsorbed
interpretation and implementation of Islamic law for the
into Boko Haram, while some may have joined other
country, has grown since 2010 into one of the world’s
jihadist groups in the Sahel. Mamman Nur, purported to be
deadliest terrorist groups. Calling itself Jama’a Ahl as-
one of Ansaru’s ideological leaders and a rival of Shekau, is
Sunna Li-da’wa wa-al Jihad (roughly translated from
rumored to have links to Al Shabaab in Somalia, as well as
Arabic as “People Committed to the Propagation of the
to AQIM, the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad”), the group is more
Peninsula (AQAP), and other Al Qaeda affiliates. By some
popularly known as Boko Haram (often translated as
accounts, Nur, who is Cameroonian, may have been behind
“Western education is forbidden”), a nickname given by
the 2011 U.N. bombing in Abuja. It is unclear what his
local Hausa-speaking communities to describe its view that
current relationship is with Shekau and Boko Haram.
Western education and culture have been corrupting
influences that are haram (“forbidden”).
Objectives
Civilians in Nigeria’s impoverished, predominately Muslim
Boko Haram has publicly called for an uprising against
northeast have borne the brunt of Boko Haram’s violence.
secular authority, a war against Christianity, and the
The group conducted its first lethal attack against Western
establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria. Its recent
interests in August 2011, with the deadly bombing of the
pledge to join the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate
United Nations building in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. After
suggests that the promotion of a West African wilaya
attracting international headlines with the kidnapping of
(“state”) under IS leadership may be a near-term goal.
more than 270 girls from a school in the Nigerian town of
Chibok in April 2014, Boko Haram commenced a territorial
Boko Haram draws on a narrative of resentment and
offensive that Nigerian security forces struggled to reverse
vengeance against state abuses to elicit recruits and
until regional forces, primarily from neighboring Chad,
sympathizers, and its attacks appear aimed at undermining
launched an offensive against the group in early 2015.
the government’s control over the northern part of the
Private mercenaries have also been used in the campaign.
country. Some attacks have targeted Christian communities
in the north, threatening to fuel existing religious tensions
In total, Boko Haram may have killed more than 11,000
in the country. The majority of Boko Haram’s victims,
people, with more than 5,500 people killed in 2014 alone.
however, have been Muslim. Key factors that have given
Its raids and bombings in early 2015 have claimed hundreds
rise to its insurgency include a legacy of overlapping
of lives. The group’s March 2015 pledge of allegiance to
intercommunal, Muslim-Christian, and north-south tensions
the self-described Islamic State (IS) has raised its profile.
within Nigeria and popular frustration with elite corruption
and other state abuses. The Nigerian security forces’ heavy-
Leadership
handed counterterrorism response in the northeast may have
driven recruitment in some areas.
Abubakar Shekau is Boko Haram’s most visible leader. He
succeeded the group’s original leader, Mohammed Yusuf,
Areas of Operation
who was killed in police custody after a July 2009 security
crackdown in which hundreds of Boko Haram followers
Boko Haram attacks have been primarily concentrated in
also died. Along with Shekau, the State Department named
northeast Nigeria, but the group has claimed responsibility
two other individuals linked to Boko Haram, Khalid al
for attacks across north and central Nigeria. Attacks in 2014
Barnawi and Abubakar Adam Kambar, as Specially
reportedly extended as far south as Lagos. Security forces
Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in 2012. Both are
from Cameroon, Chad, and Niger have increasingly clashed
identified as having close links to Al Qaeda in the Islamic
with the group as it has crossed into northern Cameroon,
Maghreb (AQIM), a regional terrorist network affiliated
southern Niger, and the Lake Chad Basin area. The group
with Al Qaeda. Kambar was reportedly killed in 2012;
has been linked to kidnapping operations, including against
Barnawi, by some accounts, now leads a Boko Haram-
Europeans, in northern Cameroon.
aligned faction, Harakat al Muhajirin.
Attacks against U.S. interests
A Boko Haram splinter faction, Ansaru (aka Jama’atu
Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, or Vanguards for the
Boko Haram currently appears to pose a threat primarily to
Protection of Muslims in Black Africa), emerged in 2012. It
local stability in Nigeria and to state and international
was publicly critical of Boko Haram’s killing of Muslim
targets, including Western citizens, in the region. Boko
civilians and appeared focused on government and foreign
Haram has issued direct threats against the United States,
targets. Several kidnappings attributed to the group resulted
but to date no American citizens are known to have been
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Boko Haram
kidnapped or killed by the group. In November 2013, the
The limited capacities of the neighboring forces may
State Department designated Boko Haram and its splinter
constrain the prospects for sustained pressure on Boko
faction Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
Haram without outside support. France has long provided
military advisors and intelligence to its former colonies, but
Size, Financing, and Capabilities
its own military is stretched thin by deployments elsewhere
on the continent. The United States is providing increasing
Estimates of Boko Haram’s size vary. U.S. officials suggest
counterterrorism support to these countries and has
that Boko Haram may have between 4,000 and 6,000
deployed advisors to N’Djamena, Chad, where the regional
“hardcore” fighters, while other sources contend its force
response is being coordinated.
could be larger. The group appears to draw support
predominately from an ethnic Kanuri base in the northeast,
Multiple factors have undermined the Nigerian security
where the group is most active, although its operatives
forces’ response to Boko Haram, notably security sector
appear intent on expanding its recruitment base, its
mismanagement and corruption, as well as insufficient
operational reach, and the scope of its targets. Boko Haram
coordination among agencies. By many accounts, Nigerian
appears to fund its operations largely through criminal
troops are not adequately resourced or equipped to counter
activity, including bank robberies, kidnappings,
the insurgency despite a rising defense budget of more than
assassinations for hire, trafficking, and various types of
$5 billion in 2014. Many soldiers, particularly in the
extortion. There has been speculation for years that Boko
northeast, reportedly suffer from low morale, struggling to
Haram may have acquired weapons from former Libyan
keep pace with a foe that appears increasingly well-armed
stockpiles through AQIM ties; it has also seized vehicles,
and trained. In the assessment of U.S. Defense Department
weapons, and ammunition from the Nigerian army.
officials, Nigerian funding for the military is “skimmed off
the top,” and former Nigerian President Obasanjo, himself
Relationship with the Islamic State, Al
once a military leader, suggests that corruption in the army
Qaeda, and AQ Affiliates
is “deeply ingrained.” Other dynamics limiting the Nigerian
response include the slow pace of the judicial system and a
On March 7, 2015, Shekau released a statement pledging
lack of sufficient training for prosecutors and judges to
loyalty to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, leader of the Syria/Iraq-
implement anti-terrorism laws.
based Islamic State. An IS spokesman welcomed the
pledge, urging followers to travel to West Africa and
Nigeria’s President-elect, who is to take office in late May
support Boko Haram. In late March, the Islamic State’s
2015, has pledged to “spare no effort” to defeat Boko
English-language magazine, Dabiq, heralded the alliance,
Haram. U.S. relations with Nigeria have been strained in
declaring that “the mujahidin of West Africa now guard yet
recent years in by disagreements over Nigeria’s
another frontier of the Khilāfah (caliphate).”
counterterrorism approach and its effectiveness, and the
Obama Administration has increasingly sought to support a
Shekau had previously voiced support for both Al Baghdadi
regional strategy to counter Boko Haram. To date, the
and Al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al Zawahiri, but had not
Administration has resisted calls for direct U.S. military
pledged allegiance to either. Branding itself as part of the
action against the group, instead offering advisory and
Islamic State may provide recruitment and fundraising
intelligence support to the affected countries and issuing
opportunities, but Boko Haram’s area of operations remains
terrorist designations and related sanctions against the
geographically removed from Syria and Iraq, and the extent
group. Increased U.S.-Nigerian cooperation against Boko
to which affiliation might facilitate operational ties remains
Haram will likely depend on Buhari’s approach and his
unclear. Reported links between Boko Haram and Islamist
willingness and ability to address U.S. concerns.
militants in North Africa, including other IS “affiliates” in
Libya, may be of more immediate concern. Analysts
Figure 1. Boko Haram Logo
question what impact, if any, Shekau’s pledge may have on
relations with AQIM and associated groups in the region. In
the near term, the pledge may prove most effective as a
propaganda tool, increasing the profile of both groups.
Outlook
Shekau’s effort to align Boko Haram with the Islamic State
comes at a time when both groups are under increasing
international military pressure. Regional offensives since
January 2014 appear to have stopped Boko Haram’s
territorial advance, but regional rivalries and mistrust
continue to hamper cooperation between Nigeria and
neighboring countries. It is unclear to what extent the

upcoming transition of power in Nigeria, where former
Source: Boko Haram media release, edited by CRS.
military ruler Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent
President Goodluck Jonathan in elections on March 28, will
Lauren Ploch Blanchard, lploch@crs.loc.gov, 7-7640
improve Nigeria’s coordination with its neighbors.

IF10173
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