Boko Haram (Islamic Terrorism in Western Africa)

Boko Haram (Arabic: جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد) is a Nigerian-based Islamic militant group founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002. The group seeks to impose its strict version of Islam across a swathe of Africa. Primarily active in the border area around Lake Chad, its violent insurgency has led to millions being displaced and the deaths of over 300,000 children. More recently, the failure of central governments in both Mali and Burkina Faso to tackle the threat led to military coups in both those nations. The group previously pledged allegiance to ISIS although it has now split into factions, one of which opposes ISIS (Arabic: دولة إسلامية) although their violent methods and ideology remain very similar. Boko Haram also has connections with

In this episode, I speak to Vincent Foucher Consulting Senior Analyst for West Africa of Crisis Group International about Boko Haram. We discuss their ideology, growth, and the threat they pose to multiple nations in West and Central Africa.

Expert Guest: Vincent Foucher

Music: Pixabay

Sound: U.S. Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Bush, Trump, Nigerian President Jonathan Goodluck, (Public Domain)
Photo: Abubakar Shekau (Free Use)