Boko Haram Expands Reach of Power and Continues to Grow

Sana Khader

Ms. Tompkins

World Literature Honors

March 13, 2015

Boko Haram Expands Reach of Power and Continues to Grow

The extremist militant group Boko Haram has terrorized the people of Nigeria since 2004. It asserts control over an area with the size and population of Ireland in its goal to expand its brutal dominance (Hartcher). In 2002, a Muslim cleric named Mohammed Yusuf took advantage of the weak government and used his extreme ideals to propel himself into a position of leadership. Yusuf and his followers renounced anything related to the West, as evident in their name, “Boko Haram,” which translates to “Western education is a sin” (Stock).

Boko Haram’s notorious history of attacks has led to a great fear among the people. They started to violently demonstrate their ideals in 2009, and have steadily gained power since. In 2011, Boko Haram launched a suicide attack on the United Nations’ headquarters in the Nigerian capital of Abuja and killed twenty-four people (Stock). It takes extreme power and motive to overcome the police and security forces of an international peacekeeping organization, and Boko Haram proved that they have the capability to do exactly that. Most recently, and in the event that has caused the most horror and public outrage, Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in northern Nigeria. According to The Washington Post, the young girls were threatened to be sold as sex slaves or forced into marriages with Boko Haram soldiers (Noack). This mass abduction brought the world’s attention to this terrorist group. Prominent public figures denounced the brutality and violence of Boko Haram, and across the world, people began using the hashtag “Bring Back Our Girls” on social media to express their condemnation (Noack).

Furthermore, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, in March of this year. As reported by the New York Times, some experts say that this pledge means Boko Haram is accepting the authority of the Islamic state (Callimachi). ISIS is an extremely merciless and brutal power; under them, Boko Haram’s supply of weapons and manpower could increase by huge proportions. As demonstrated by their recent actions, Boko Haram has started taking steps to increase their reach of power.

Although Boko Haram has terrorized the people of Nigeria for more than a decade, public outrage has led to increased awareness. Governments in Africa and citizens worldwide  have started working towards a solution. The African Union recently declared that it was mobilizing an intervention force of 8700 troops from Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Nigeria to resist Boko Haram (Hartcher). Though the extremist group is rapidly growing due to increased attacks and tactful alliances, global efforts are being made to push back.

Works Cited

Callimachi, Rukmini. "Boko Haram Generates Uncertainty With Pledge of Allegiance to Islamic State." The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2015. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.

Hartcher, Peter, ed. "Boko Haram: ISIS Wins Ally in Africa." The Sydney Morning Herald 10 Mar. 2015: 18. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Noack, Rick. "Six Months after Abducting Nigerian Schoolgirls, Boko Haram Reportedly Wants to Free Them." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
"Mohammed Yusuf Founds Boko Haram: 2002." Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History. Ed. Jennifer Stock. Vol. 1: Africa. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. N. pag. Student Resources in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.