We Will Kill Again, Says Boko Haram -BluePrint Magazine
http://saharareporters.com/news-page...print-magazineBoko Haram yesterday reacted formally to the barrage of condemnations against its Christmas Day bombing, insisting that what it did was correct and vowed to carry out more attacks.
The Islamic sect, whose actual name is Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, confirmed in a statement issued by its leader Imam Abu-Muhammad Abubakar bin Muhammad Shekau that it was responsible for the December 25 bombing of a church in Madalla, a suburb of Abuja, in which at least 37 people were killed.
Shekau said in the statement written in the Hausa language and e-mailed to media houses by the group’s spokesman Abul Qaqa: “I am informing all Nigerians and the rest of the world that there is no doubt that we committed that act and God’s willing we will carry out further attacks.”
He revealed that the attacks are meant to avenge the “mass killing of Muslims carried out by Christians with the connivance of government” in northern towns like Kaduna, Zonkwa, Langtang, Yelwan Shendam, Jos, Tafawa-Balewa, and Numan, as well as in Shagamu and Ikoyi, Lagos in the south. The latest of such killings, according to the group, took place a few months ago on Eid el-Fitr Day in Jos, the Plateau state capital, during which non-Muslims cannibalised the burnt corpses of victims.
“We swear by Allah that we will avenge any form of injustice committed, being committed or to be committed against Muslims. This is just the beginning,” Shekau vowed.
Nigeria state of emergency
Albeit limited one:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16373531
Within the report:Earlier this week, leaders of neighbouring Chad and Cameroon were reported to have held talks about how they can help prevent the violence spreading to their countries.
davidbfpo
This statement and the CAN official's remark that Christians "defend themselves" are not just rhetoric.“We swear by Allah that we will avenge any form of injustice committed, being committed or to be committed against Muslims. This is just the beginning,” Shekau vowed.
We have discussed in the Forum in the past that poverty and inequality in the north of Nigeria is at the heart of this problem. I was one (of several) stating that more needed to be done to address these issues, yet NOW amidst the growing violence how does anyone do anything except duck and cover or fight! Things are indeed becoming more dire by the day in Nigeria.
Neighboring countries need to be concerned. Nigeria's 160 million population could easily begin to spill across the borders.
Explain how poverty is at the heart of this? They state these are revenge killings, not killings over poverty, which has existed in Nigeria since its creation. If you think the root of it is competition over economic resources, then that isn't the same as poverty being the at the heart of the problem.We have discussed in the Forum in the past that poverty and inequality in the north of Nigeria is at the heart of this problem. I was one (of several) stating that more needed to be done to address these issues, yet NOW amidst the growing violence how does anyone do anything except duck and cover or fight! Things are indeed becoming more dire by the day in Nigeria.
If you could magically improve everyone's financial status in two weeks, I suspect it would do little to alleviate the violence, since hate and revenge are strong motives for both the poor and the rich.
Weakness or a strength?
Bill,
In the FP Blog article I posted there is this paragraph, with my emphasis added:Link:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...haram?page=0,2The northern half of Nigeria is desert, making farming nearly impossible. Polio has yet to be eradicated there. Most citizens in the north doesn't have clean drinking water. Electricity is unreliable. Power fails multiple times each day. Economic growth there is non-existent. According to the World Bank, half of all Nigerians are unemployed. Seventy-one percent of young people don't have jobs. Boko Haram generally doesn't speak specifically about these issues, but these conditions make northern Nigeria ripe for extremism.
Boko Harem appears to be ideologically driven and have not - yet - "sunk" to the standard fare of politics, sharing the "cake". I concede Nigerian politics maybe very different.
davidbfpo
Bill, I agree with your response.
But there may indeed be a way in which poverty and underdevelopment can be said to be deeply connected to such violence, though NOT its sufficient or direct cause (this does not excuse the Western media and intelligentsia's routine use of the "root cause" meme, since the everyday usage we see is almost totally misleading and usually falls in the category of "not even wrong"...its just groupthink of the worst sort). Anyway, here is the argument:
There is a correlation between economic development and social development (with very contentious chicken and egg issues involved; the relationship is not unidirectional). Socially and economically developed societies dont easily fall into mass disorder or permit free-lance killing and are not ripe ground for the growth of murderous groups like boko haram. Even when they kill in large numbers (first world war, second world war) they do so in an organized manner, usually under "lawful" authority.
A poor and underdeveloped society undergoing demographic transition (increased number of young people) with vastly better living standards visible yet out of reach, with modern mass media and education available to groups that are otherwise barbaric and primitive, such a place has to sink or swim rather quickly..if they are unable to generate some critical mass of development and successful social organization (or rather re-organization, as older forms are dying and new ones have to be built up before the whole ####house goes up in flames) then they are almost bound to see disorder and the rise of armed gangs.
What ideology organizes/aimates these gangs does depend to some extent on pre-existing cultural memes. It doesnt have to be religion; the violence can be ethnically based or can be mostly "criminal". But it can be religious too.
Where Islam is the existing religion, salafist-jihadist memes are available and tend to become the default option when more modern postcolonial arrangements fail (Nigeria, maybe Pakistan one day) or have completely crashed and burned (Somalia, afghanistan).Other "Islamic" or secular options are usually unable to compete with the ruthless and purer salafists.
In this convoluted sense, poverty and underdevelopment did indeed set the stage for hyperviolent Islamist militias to arise...This is not the sense in which this argument is usually deployed.
But THIS sense is not going to be reversed by parachuting in some aid groups. They will be eaten alive, or will become a hostage cash cow for the men with guns. Either the local salafists will have to eventually build up a society capable of modernizing (It will eventually happen, but how they can do this before they get into fights with all neighbors and even people further away is a problem) OR (more likely) some relatively ruthless local force or very ruthless faraway force will have to establish order FIRST, then development can follow. Since its a harder job for the "faraway force" (usually lacks legitimacy), its less likely to succeed even though they may have far superior technical skills and even moral standards. Better for it to be done locally.
btw, corollary: where the population is already split into Muslim and non-muslim, a civil war until one party cries uncle is inevitable if the existing colonial or postcolonial order stops working (e.g. Nigeria if it fails to improve things very fast). The only other option is for the muslim or non-muslims to escape to another country. This civil war is inevitable because Salafist Islam cannot peacefully coexist with a large non-muslim community except in a state of "balance of terror" or complete submission. There is no third option.the anarchy will invite organization. Salafist Islam already has a blueprint for such organization and already has a basis in existing folk Islam. It will appear and then it will fight. Not necessarily in that order. .
Not that Nigeria is necessarily going to collapse. Its probably stronger than it looks and the karma of British Raj is an amazing thing, see Pakistan...
Oh, and Happy New Year.
Last edited by omarali50; 12-31-2011 at 11:46 PM.
Poverty gets you a large pool of angry, frustrated, unemployed young men, which in turn is easily exploited by those who see violence as a means to advance their ends.
Of course it's easy to say that, but extremely difficult to do anything about it, especially for non-Nigerians.
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary”
H.L. Mencken
Not only is it difficult for anyone outside of Nigeria to do anything about it, if they have mistaken notions of the problem and its solution, they are likely to make things worse...e.g., paying the elite and encouraging even more corruption and misgovernance. Getting in the way of things that may need to be done, encouraging things that may not be the best priority. Moral hazard and all that also come into play. See Pak army for details.Originally Posted by Dayuhan
Nigeria ends fuel subsidies - this could lead to more deaths than Boko Haram.
Posted by Dayuhan,
Every situation is different, and I suspect economic factors (to include poverty) is a factor in the total calculus of reasons people participate in violent acts, but rarely the cause and it is important to deleniate the difference.Poverty gets you a large pool of angry, frustrated, unemployed young men, which in turn is easily exploited by those who see violence as a means to advance their ends.
Of course it's easy to say that, but extremely difficult to do anything about it, especially for non-Nigerians.
I have been to talks by academic experts in the intelligence field (please pardon me for not recalling the speakers' names) that discussed the relevance of poverty as a factor. I heard two separate theories that sound opposed to each other, but on the other hand both could be correct.
1. When a person or group perceive that their quality of life is decreasing they can be motivated to participate in violent acts to address the perceived problem.
2. When a person of group actually increased their quality of life due to economic improvements they're more likely to participate in violent acts to make further changes. I can't recall the logic behind this one, so if anyone is familiar with either theory and can post links it would be greatly appreciated.
I think omarali50 captured by concern when he referred to the excessive focus on poverty for all conflicts as "group think". No analysis applied, it is just assumed, and that can lead to some dangerously flawed assumptions and subsequently the development of flawed strategies and plans based on those assumptions. In some cases poverty "may" be a driving factor, and in others poverty may just be present.
tequila points outMaybe, but this has been pending for at least a couple of years. They were speaking about this the last time I was Nigeria in 03. I agree it will lead to riots and maybe a few hundred deaths, but in Nigeria that is not abnormal. I think the question we should be asking is will this serve as a turning point or rallying cry for a particular violent group to further mobilize (sustained mobilization) the populace to fight the government? Only time will tell, but with the current national emergency measures in place, I can't imagine a worse time to implement this. I would recommend delaying it for six months if anyone wants advice from the cheap seats.Nigeria ends fuel subsidies - this could lead to more deaths than Boko Haram.
I guess I am the only person posting from within Nigeria. I am at Enugu in South Eastern Nigeria right now, and the removal of fuel subsidies has resulted in instant inflation.Maybe, but this has been pending for at least a couple of years. They were speaking about this the last time I was Nigeria in 03. I agree it will lead to riots and maybe a few hundred deaths, but in Nigeria that is not abnormal. I think the question we should be asking is will this serve as a turning point or rallying cry for a particular violent group to further mobilize (sustained mobilization) the populace to fight the government? Only time will tell, but with the current national emergency measures in place, I can't imagine a worse time to implement this. I would recommend delaying it for six months if anyone wants advice from the cheap seats.
In Nigeria, everything depends on petrol. We don't have stable power supply, so we depend on petrol-powered generators. Transport fares have sky-rocketed, the cost of foodstuff will rise, people are visibly angry and ready to explode. This IMF style "shock therapy" intervention is ill-timed.
Read Nigerians response on Goodluck Jonathan's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/jonathangoodluck
It is interesting to read various analyses on Nigeria's problems, but this is no longer a time for abstract theories. The Nigerian street will speak very soon, and the World will hear its voice loud and clear. We know how Sierra Leone and Liberia ended up, and Nigeria is on that trajectory - if something drastic isn't done.
And neither AFRICOM nor all the aid agencies in the Western World have the capacity to prevent it. The battle is between Civil Society and Government.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram gives Christians 3 days to leave Northern Nigeria .....
This threat, if implemented could lead to reprisal attacks in the South. Boko Haram is smart enough to take advantage of a weak and directionless government at the centre.
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — A purported spokesman for Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram has issued an ultimatum to Christians in the country's north and threatened to confront troops after the president declared a state of emergency in hard hit areas.
Abul Qaqa, who has spoken on behalf of the group blamed for scores of attacks in Africa's most populous nation numerous times in the past, said he was giving southerners living in the north a three-day ultimatum to leave.
"We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared," he told journalists in a phone conference late Sunday.
"We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers."
Speaking in the Hausa language common throughout the north, Qaqa said "we also wish to call on our fellow Muslims to come back to the north because we have evidence that they would be attacked.
"We are also giving a three-day ultimatum to the southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria to move away."
Boko Haram is believed to include different factions with varying aims. Its structure remains unclear and other people have claimed to speak on its behalf.
Nigeria's 160 million population is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.
Muslims have been victims of Boko Haram attacks, but a wave of Christmas day bombings particularly targeting churches set off fears of retaliation from Christians.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Saturday in parts of four states hard hit by violence blamed on Boko Haram.
Boko Haram: Don’t Involve Foreign Powers, Muslim Group Tells Jonathan
Presence of foreign troops could further radicalise Nigerian Muslims, warns influential Muslim group.
http://www.leadership.ng/nga/article..._jonathan.htmlThe Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to contemplate the use of foreign powers in resolving the Boko Haram problem.
MURIC, while noting that America and France have offered to intervene, pointed out that their involvement will complicate matters for Nigeria because they are not acceptable to all parties.
In a New Year message made available to LEADERSHIP and signed by MURIC’s Director, Dr. Is-haq Akintola, the group explained that the Nigerian nation experienced ugly and tragic incidents in the past year, describing the Boko Haram phenomenon as the most harrowing.
MURIC emphasized that one of the most damaging attacks of the sect was the Christmas Day suicide bombing at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madala in Niger State in which about 50 people perished.
The group lamented that “this singular attack, heinous and reprehensible as it is, has the potential of igniting a religious war.”
Is this thread dead?
I'm surprised that this thread seems to be dying when A LOT is going in Nigeria - a second terrorist attack in Northern Nigeria (six killed in a Church attack yesterday) and the fuel subsidy protests are gathering steam.
This thread seems to be dying?
KingJaja,
I don't think the thread is dead, it may not have been updated, but has had numerous hits since creation.
Secondly I doubt if much of the 2012 Nigerian news has appeared in many SWC readers in-trays. I tend to rely on UK press and the BBC - which give sparse coverage of all matters African.
Finally to date Nigeria is for Nigerians, so we are all watching and I expect rather loath to comment too much. If civil violence escalates, especially if Westerners are the target that might change.
davidbfpo
to echo what David said
Having had very region-specific threads myself I can tell you that, you at ground zero, are the best qualified person for posting and keeping this thread on the wire.
I can certainly post links each and every time something from Nigeria hits the various Africa sites that I frequent, but I am not the one who will put the best spin on the story and filter out the truth from the journalist's jargon.
If you want to blend in, take the bus
An illustration of hatred
A BBC report on Boko Haram's latest incidents and a particularly carefully chosen target - from my faraway armchair:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16442960At least 17 people were killed in Mubi in Adamawa state as gunmen opened fire in a town hall where members of the Christian Igbo group were meeting.....Residents told the BBC that those killed in Mubi belonged to the Igbo community from the south of the country. They had been meeting to organise how to transport the body of an Igbo man who was shot dead by gunmen on motorbikes on Thursday evening.
"It was while they were holding the meeting that gunmen came and opened fire on them," a resident said. Witnesses said gunmen burst into the hall and shouted "God is great" as they opened fire.
King Jaja,
Often when similar incidents have happened in the UK Muslim groups have publicly stated their condemnation and stood alongside the victims. Is that possible in Nigeria? Stan has referred to a long history of religious conflict and violence, I fear Nigerians of all faiths beyond that. Thanks.
davidbfpo
Intelligence-led CT - not in Nigeria?
An ICSR commentary on Boko Haram that concludes:Link:http://icsr.info/blog/The-Scourge-of-Boko-HaramConsider here just one aspect: since the killing of its founder-leader, Mohamed Yusuf, nothing is known about its structure and chain of command or the identity of its current leadership. In other words, how are the security forces supposed to fight an organization it has so little intelligence on?
davidbfpo
Not really the case here in Nigeria. The silence from leading Muslim figures has been deafening. An example.Often when similar incidents have happened in the UK Muslim groups have publicly stated their condemnation and stood alongside the victims. Is that possible in Nigeria? Stan has referred to a long history of religious conflict and violence, I fear Nigerians of all faiths beyond that. Thanks.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpage...-2012-001.htmlIndications have emerged that security reports indicted the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awal Ibrahim in whose domain the Boko Haram sect had detonated bomb five times last year alone. As a prelude, the Niger State Government has issued the Emir a query, asking him to defend his non-challant attitude to the issues of bomb blast in his domain, especially the ones that affected churches.
The Emir might be the first casualty as the Niger State Government is set to get to the root of the series of bomb blasts that rocked his emirate in the last eight months. Not less than five bomb blasts took place in the emirate within the period, the last being that at the St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Mandalla on Christmas Day which left over 38 people dead, 80 injured 36 houses and 4 churches burnt in addition to the destruction of 7 vehicles.
On New Year’s Day, the state government issued the Emir of Suleja with a query over his lack of show of sympathy with victims of the bomb blast which occurred in his area one week before. According to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who briefed the media yesterday, the government found out that despite the retinue of people that visited the victims and the bomb blast sites from across the country to show sympathy, the traditional ruler neither sent words to them nor visited the area.
The conventional wisdom is that leading Northern Muslim figures are either complicit or afraid. Neither is good.
Nigeria sect kills 15; Christians vow defense
This event happened today
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/07/416...northeast.htmlMAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- A radical Muslim sect attacked a church worship service in Nigeria's northeast during assaults that killed at least 15 people, authorities said Saturday, as Christians vowed to defend themselves from the group's widening sectarian fight against the country's government.
The attacks by the sect known as Boko Haram came after it promised to kill Christians living in Nigeria's largely Muslim north, exploiting long-standing religious and ethnic tensions in the nation of more than 160 million people. The pledge by the leader of an umbrella organization called the Christian Association of Nigeria now raises the possibility of retaliatory violence.
In the last few days alone, Boko Haram has killed at least 44 people, despite the oil-rich nation's president declaring a state of emergency in regions hit by the sect.
Speaking Saturday to journalists, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, vowed the group's members would adequately protect themselves from the sect. He declined to offer specifics, raising concerns about retaliation.
Yet another killing.
At least 17 people were killed in Mubi, in Adamawa, as gunmen opened fire in a town hall where members of the Christian Igbo group were meeting.
They had been meeting to organise how to transport the body of an Igbo man who was shot dead by gunmen on motorbikes on Thursday evening.
"It was while they were holding the meeting that gunmen came and opened fire on them," a resident said.
More attacks on a church and hairdressing salon in Adamawa's capital, Yola, left more than 10 dead.
The attacks prompted state governor Murtala Nyako to impose a 24-hour curfew.
Security was tightened and troops were seen patrolling the streets.
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