On 17 October, the Nigerian government unilaterally declared that it had entered into a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram Islamists. In the same communique, Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, further asserted that the agreement would also see the release of the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist extremist sect 
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Tag | Boko Haram
The Boko Haram Ceasefire and the Chadian Gambit
By: Ryan Cummings | Tuesday, November 18th, 2014Where Are Our Girls?
By: Ryan Cummings | Thursday, October 16th, 2014Boko Haram’s April 14 kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Chibok has been one of the most provocative developments of its almost five-year insurgency against the Nigerian government. It has catalyzed a global protest campaign, drawing support from many of the world’s most influential citizens. It has aided the Nigerian
Cameroon and the Growing Threat of Boko Haram Contagion
By: Ryan Cummings | Wednesday, August 20th, 2014On July 26, a group of heavily armed assailants attacked Kolofata, a Cameroonian town located near the country’s shared border with Nigeria. While there have been no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack, in which three people were killed and the wife of Cameroon’s deputy prime minister was kidnapped, the incursion conformed to the
Backgrounder – Boko Haram and Political Instability in Nigeria
By: Lema Ijtemaye | Tuesday, July 29th, 2014Boko Haram’s activities have been escalating steadily in Nigeria; the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Borno earlier this year being the most recent indicator of the group’s growing threat to Nigeria’s political stability. Indeed, the group is viewed by many experts as a direct challenge the state’s corrupt nature and its general inability to address
The Impending Balkanization of Nigeria?
By: Chelsea Winn | Thursday, July 17th, 2014Balkanize: (transitive verb) to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units. As the moniker suggests, the process of Balkanization originates from the geopolitical fragmentation of the Balkan Peninsula. The term was originally coined in the 19th century to describe the processes of state formation following the decline of the
Addressing the Solution Resistant Islamic Insurgency in Nigeria
By: Yonmon Tchinsala | Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014The recent abduction of more than 200 school girls in northeastern Nigeria is a clear indication of how the country, despite its vast economic and military potential, lacks the critical ability to ensure the proper security of its citizens. The event sparked a global outcry and motivated the campaign #BringBackOurGirls, which drew attention to the
Caught on the Brink: Critical Reflections on Nigeria’s Counter-Insurgency/Terror Strategy
By: Chris Kwaja | Tuesday, May 6th, 2014In his seminal work, the former US Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell was unequivocal in his argument that Nigeria was “dancing on the brink” of real political instability, of the kind that was fully capable of truncating the state-building project. He identified several key factors that act as pointers to possible instability, including increased violence,
Publication Summary – Curbing Violence in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Insurgency
By: Lema Ijtemaye | Friday, April 11th, 2014A new publication by the International Crisis Group focuses on the effects of the political violence in Nigeria, specifically the violence caused by Boko Haram. The insurgency led by Boko Haram, now entering its fourth year and showing no signs of abating, has had a particularly debilitating effect on Nigeria, resulting in the displacement of
Rethinking Insurgencies and State Failure in Nigeria
By: Chris Kwaja | Monday, September 30th, 2013New SSR Resource Centre post by Blog Contributor Chris Kwaja discusses the Boko Haram insurgency and roots of conflict in Nigeria, with a particular focus on the role of the security sector in both exacerbating and addressing these factors. “He (African) loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility” Lord Lugard
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