Boko Haram resurges as Nigerian military struggles to contain it
Nigeria's northeast is witnessing a resurgence of Boko Haram attacks, casting doubt on military claims of progress and reigniting concerns about a return to heightened insecurity in the region.
Since the beginning of the year, the Islamic extremist group has repeatedly overrun military outposts, planted roadside bombs, and raided civilian communities, News.Az reports citing The Independent.
Boko Haram's insurgency, which began in 2009 with the aim of opposing Western education and imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic law, has become Africa's longest-running conflict. The violence has spread to neighboring countries and, according to the United Nations, has led to the deaths of approximately 35,000 civilians and displaced over 2 million more.
In the latest attack late last week in the village of Gajibo in Borno state, the epicenter of the crisis, the extremists killed nine members of a local militia that supports the Nigerian military, after soldiers deserted the base when becoming aware of the insurgents’ advance, according to the group’s claim and local aid workers. That is in addition to roadside bombs and deadly attacks on villages in recent months.
Boko Haram has since broken into two factions.
One of the them is backed by the Islamic State group and is known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. It has become notorious for targeting military positions and has overrun the military on at least 15 occasions this year, killing soldiers and stealing weapons, according to an Associated Press count, experts and security reports reviewed for this story.
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