Boko Haram: A Global Phenomenon (Term Paper Sample)

Boko Haram; a Global Phenomenon
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BOKO HARAM; A GLOBAL PHENOMENON
Every social event has causes; some are political, economic, historical events, or others. The issue of Boko Haram has caused division amongst various scholars. Some argue that it is a locally sponsored movement while others accrue its origins to the al-Qaida movement. The first view is supported by scholars such as Alexander Thurston, Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos, and Kyari Muhammed, who viewed Boko haram as a product of a compendium of factors such as religious views, poverty, political negligence, etc.CITATION Jac17 \p 1 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 1). On the other hand, some viewed it as a quest for a jihad in Nigeria sponsored by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM)CITATION Jac17 \p 1 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 1). Jacob Zenn supported the latter view in his article titled, “Demystifying al-Qaida in Nigeria: Cases from Boko Haram’s Founding’’ which was met with numerous scrutiny as scholars accused him of ignoring crucial perspectivesCITATION Ada18 \p 1 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 1).  Boko Haram is a global phenomenon as depicted in its origin, leadership, and Somalia affiliations.
Origins
There are many theories about the origin of Boko haram. Some schools of thought assume that it began as a peaceful organization in 2002 while some linked them directly as descendants from the al-Qaida organizationCITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). There has been evidence to suggest that they originated from al-Qaida. In 2004, they were a religious group of roughly 200-1000 people, educated and participating in military training near the Nigeria-Niger borderCITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). They planned to launch a jihad and create an Islamic caliphate in the mold of the Afghanistan Taliban. One of their founding leaders, Yusuf Ahmed, was born in Saudi Arabia. A random Boko haram member, Ibrahim Haruna met him to train some members with AQIM’s predecessor, the Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC)CITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). Haruna was born in Saudi Arabia. He trained in Afghanistan and planned with Pakistani terrorists to launch an attack on Nigeria before one of his messengers was intercepted. All this proves that Boko Haram is not a locally sponsored movement. They have affiliations with similar movements in the Middle East who have helped in their recruitment and training.
Furthermore, following his arrest in Libya in 2005, Haruna confessed to being a member of al-QaidaCITATION Jac17 \p 3 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 3). These findings went a long way in strengthening the ties of Boko haram to al-Qaida. Some scholars proposed a broader perspective on issues like JihadismCITATION Ada18 \p 3 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 3) as opposed to Zenn’s views on Boko haram. Some other scholars like Kyari Muhammed and Abdul Mustapha claimed that Boko haram only tried to copy the al-Qaida methods of doing thingsCITATION Ada18 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018). In their quest to disprove the al-Qaida origin claims, they wrote about Mohammed Ali, a jihadist and founding member of Boko haram, who was also recognized by al-Qaida. Further making a case for the Boko haram- al- Qaida links. Al-Qaida has also in the past, take responsibility for funding Boko haramCITATION Jac17 \p 3 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 3).
Some scholars rebuffed Zenn’s claims about Yusuf Ahmed and claimed he was a preacher in a mosque in MaiduguriCITATION Ada18 \p 3 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 3). They also claimed that he played a big role in implanting Shari’a law in Borno state and all these exploits led to his rise to prominence in the north. However, his track record proves otherwise. The resume of Mohammed Ali and Yusuf Ahmed highly disprove of Boko haram being a peaceful religious group in their early beginnings. They had direct links with al-Qaida and would not have been the obvious choice for a ''peaceful group''CITATION Jac17 \p 3 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 3). Reports suggested that Yusuf Ahmed had in the past admitted that some members in the Afghanistan camp were his students and have been planning a jihad in Nigeria. This shows that al-Qaida had significant input in the origin of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Shekau’s Leadership
The first area of impact from the al-Qaida group on Boko haram was as discussed above. They had an impact on the founding of Boko haram through operatives, Yusuf Ahmed and Muhammed Ashafa, in 2003. The al-Qaida group also funded their training in Afghanistan to fight a jihad in Nigeria. They went further to assist Abubakar Shekau, who became a Boko haram leader in 2009, to initiate a jihad in NigeriaCITATION Jac17 \p 4 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 4). The majority of this help came from AQIM, whose group head, Abdelmalek Droukdel, was a known al-Qaida loyalist. He also had links with the notorious terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. These facts made a case for Boko harams links with other foreign terrorist groups. Some scholars claimed to have found no links between Boko haram and other similar terrorist groups like al-Qaida, AQIMCITATION Ada18 \p 4 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 4). They claimed that corruption in government and local issues such as state violence; economic factors, etc played a role in their recruitment. They also claimed to have interviewed several fighters and found no links to al-Qaida or other foreign terrorist groupsCITATION Ada18 \p 4 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 4).
Boko haram engaged in some attacks from 2004-2009. However, after Muhammed Yusuf declared in 2009 that jihad was imminent, with the help of a Chadian recruit, Nigeria increased enforcement on issues concerning Boko haram. This led to the death of over 800 members including Muhammed Yusuf in 2009CITATION Jac17 \p 4 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 4). Following this, they went underground to restrategize after what looked like a devastating blow to their plans. The period from 2009-2010 was a transition period for them. According to Abdul Raufu Mustapha, they went underground and emerged in 2010 with Abubakar Shekau in commandCITATION Jac17 \p 5 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 5). Some scholars have questioned the accuracy of Zenn’s information about these, citing a lack of credible source as their reasonCITATION Ada18 \p 5 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 5). They also claimed that al-Qaida did not fully trust Yusuf and only expressed their condolences during the uprising in which they never publicly admitted any ties between themCITATION Ada18 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018).
However, there were files in Bin Laden's compound, Pakistan in 2011, confirming that Boko haram fled to the Sahel after the crackdown by the Nigerian government. AQIM provided financing and training for them while in the Sahel as shown by these documentsCITATION Jac17 \p 5 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 5). Furthermore, the documents also prove that Abubakar Shekau in 2009 sent some agents to meet with Abu Zeid, AQIM’s commander of the Tariq ibn Ziyad Brigade in the Sahel, on matters relating to waging another war on Nigeria. Some of these agents who later became founders of another terrorist group, Ansaru, were the culprits in the attack of Mauritania’s Lemgheity military barracks in 2005CITATION Jac17 \p 5 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 5). One of them, Khalid Al-Barnawi had various training camps in Algeria where some Boko haram members also trained. Abu Zeid acknowledged knowing these agents in letters to AQIM in august 2009. His statement and the origin of some of these agents indicate a history of entanglements between Boko haram and AQIM because it was impossible for Shekau to send high-level agents to AQIM after the crackdown by the Nigerian Government in 2009 without a pre-existing relationship between them CITATION Jac17 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017).
Some scholars have rebuffed these claims and have cast doubt about this pre-existing relationship between Boko Haram origin to AQIM and other groups. They claim that al-Qaida neither recognized Muhammad Ali as the founder of Boko haram nor financially sponsored any of his campaigns against the Nigerian government in their al Risalah magazine in January 2017 CITATION Ada18 \p 6 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 6). They also claim that Zenn’s account of the details is one-sided and ignores lots of facts that disprove his interpretations. However, according to some letters from Abu Zeid to Droukdel, Shekau, through his agents, requested financial assistance and procurement of weapons and also training for 100-200 Boko haram members at intervals from the AQIMCITATION Jac17 \p 5 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 5). It was his first act as the new leader of the sect showing that there was initially some financial assistance from AQIM before the crackdown on Boko haram and probably afterward.
The first Boko haram attack under Shekau’s leadership was at Bauchi State prison in September 2010, leading to the freedom of 150 arrested Boko Haram members. There were some reports of AQIM providing financial support for this attack from the Nigerian media. This was confirmed by letters from Droukdel approving of $250,000 to Shekau before the attackCITATION Jac17 \p 6 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 6). It showed a possibility of AQIM’s influence in the attack at Bauchi state prison. Some scholars rejected these repor