Reducing militancy: same approach, no change here? Part 2
Only a week ago I posted on a prison break and the five hundred shot escaping (Post ) and 'same approach, no change here' is sadly all too true. Yes JMA it is Africa.
From AJ's sub-title:
Quote:
At least 21 detainees shot dead during attempted escape from the cells of the secret police headquarters in Abuja.
Link:ww.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/03/nigerian-prisoners-killed-abuja-jailbreak-20143301832373181.html
Some more detail from the Nigerian website:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/a...detainees-dss/
I've only did a short stint in a detention facility, but basic security was sadly neglected and what type of facility has armed staff inside? The Nigerian State Security Service's detention facility - stupid.:eek:
After the insurgency: some thoughts on reconciliation in Nigeria
Very interesting lecture by Matthew Hassan Kukah (Catholic Bishop of Sokoto). He's also scholar who wrote a book on "Religion & Politics in Northern Nigeria".
Quote:
After the defeat and following the exit of Sultan Attahiru, the burden of deciding the future for Islam rested in the hands of Muhammadu Buhari, the Waziri. In summary, three options were open to the rump of the caliphate. There were those who, like Onada above, believed that they would fight to the end and never surrender to the new conquerors. They believed that the caliphate could still be reclaimed and this is largely the lost glory that is being contested. Secondly, there were those who believed that some kind of cohabitation might be diplomatically worked out so that the religion could survive. Thirdly, there were those who believed that the new order should be supported and ways be explored to ensure a better future.
The Waziri, after advice from the scholars, decided to work out a modus vivendi with the colonial state. In his wisdom, he argued that since Lugard the conqueror had stated that all Muslims would be free to pray, pay Zakat and observe the Ramadan, there was no need for Hijra or continued fight. Since the caliphate had been founded as a home for Islam, the Waziri displayed some real diplomatic sagacity.
Amidst this dilemma, the Waziri received counsel to cooperate with the colonial state. According to a judge in Gwandu: The world is a house of distress…The Christians do not impede religion and the rites of Islam established in our land. Their goal is seeking for territory and the over lordship in worldly matters. As regards Islam, they do not hinder anyone from it, from Futa to here…This is our particular kind of friendship with them at present. We show regard to them with the tongue and have intercourse with them in the affairs of the world, but never love them in our heart nor adopt their religion[5]. From then till now, the battle over the perception of the role of Islam and the State has merely been shaped by circumstances, but the key issues have not changed. The feeling that this loss can be redressed and that we can return to these glory days resides deep down.
This is not the place for us to go into the details of this phase of protest. However, the significance of this reference lies in the fact that it helps us understand the origins of violence in northern Islam. But we need to make one passing remark as to how and why all this relates to the tensions between Islam and Christianity today.
- See more at: http://www.theadvocatengr.com/index.....sr6aadBr.dpuf
Nigeria violence: Seventy killed in Abuja bus blasts
Very sad news, site is about 15 minutes from central Abuja:
Quote:
More than 70 people have been killed in two blasts that rocked a crowded bus station on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital, Abuja, officials say.
The blast happened as commuters were about to board buses and taxis to go to work in central Abuja, the BBC's Haruna Tangaza reports.
Eyewitnesses say there are dead bodies scattered around the area.
Suspicion immediately fell on the Boko Haram Islamist militant group, which has staged previous attacks in Abuja.
However, most of its attacks have been in the north-east of the country.
Abbas Idris, head of the Abuja Emergency Relief Agency, told the BBC that so far they have confirmed 71 people dead and 124 injured.
Police spokesman Frank Mba gave the same figures, adding that 16 luxury coaches and 24 minibuses had been destroyed.
Eyewitness Badamasi Nyanya said he had seen 40 bodies being evacuated; other eyewitnesses say they saw rescue workers and police gathering body parts.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27018751
Waging War in Nigeria, and Seeking New Battlegrounds
Waging War in Nigeria, and Seeking New Battlegrounds
Entry Excerpt:
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Gamboru Ngala massacre, knock-on effect from the Chibok rescue effort?
Boko Haram is said to have exploited the efforts to recover the girls kidnapped from Chibok in their raid on the town of Gamboru Ngala. From the New York Times:
Quote:
Dozens of militants wearing fatigues and wielding AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers descended on the town of Gamboru Ngala, chanting “Allahu akbar,” firing indiscriminately and torching houses. When it was over, at least 336 people had been killed and hundreds of houses and cars had been set on fire, said Waziri Hassan, who lives there, and Senator Ahmed Zanna. […] “Yesterday, people were still trying to pick up dead bodies,” Mr. Zanna said. “It’s really traumatizing.” The senator said the insurgents had used two armored personnel carriers stolen from the Nigerian military several months ago.
Two APCs stolen from the Nigerian military? :confused:
What Gives Boko Haram its Strength
What Gives Boko Haram its Strength
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Kidnapped girls: pawns in an insurrection
Having watched some US news reporting on the external reaction to the kidnapping of the school girls, I looked for some enlightenment.
A short CTC commentary:http://tinyurl.com/kzxr9bd
A commentary from the Oxford Research Group (ORG), gives a good background:http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.u...ion_boko_haram
An African observer's comment http://muslimsinafrica.wordpress.com...ssein-solomon/ that ends:
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Abuja needs to capitalize on this and reinvigorate the fight against the Islamists once and for all. Instead, as I sit watching my television screen, I am filled with dismay as the Nigerian government offers to negotiate with Boko Haram. This constitutes a dereliction of duty – a betrayal of national trust – on the part of the Jonathan government.
I fear the girls are a "lost cause", after all they were kidnapped on the 14th April 2014. Western help, however discrete in country, I suspect will enhance Boko Harem's message. When will such help leave, or as ORG fear see mission creep or are the girls just pawns?
Stirring the pot can confuse
A taut analysis by RUSI's Rafaello Pantucci 'The Franchising of Boko Haram' and here is one passage:
Quote:
Having claimed responsibility for attacks in areas traditionally dominated by Boko Haram whilst operating under a different name and ideology, Ansaru has further complicated Western efforts to gain an insight into the psyche of Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria. Beyond this, the broader explosion in violent activity across northern Nigeria since 2012 reinforces the notion that Boko Haram has developed into a brand whose ‘franchise’ has been adopted by all sorts of other organisations. This makes an understanding of Boko Haram even more complicated, with the already opaque nature of the group lending itself well to an umbrella organisation to which anyone can attribute their actions.
Link:https://www.rusi.org/publications/ne.../#.U3yuZnZZAdV