More evidence piles up that Boko
Haram has been communicating with al Qaeda, particularly the branch in
Mali. There were apparently Boko Haram members in Mali before French
troops began clearing the Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali five
weeks ago. The sources for this (captured documents and interrogations)
also revealed a rift within Boko Haram. Many members are angry that the
terror tactics have not produced much beyond a lot of mayhem and more
Nigerians, particularly Moslems, who hate Boko Haram. That is why calls
for peace talks since last November have created public disputes between
Boko Haram leaders and factions. While Boko Haram has been able to
carry out hundreds of attacks in the last few years, some of them quite
spectacular bombings or gun battles, the group in no closer to its goal
of ruling the north, much less all of Nigeria. While quite violent and
militant, Boko Haram is still a small group, with a few thousand members
(of varying skill and dedication) and a few hundred thousand
northerners who offer support. Judging from the number of tips the
police get and the subsequent raids on Boko Haram hideouts, many
northerners are not fans of the ultra violence.
February 23, 2013: In central Nigeria (Taraba State) a
football (soccer) game between a Moslem and a Christian team resulted in
a riot that killed at least one person and left several buildings
(including a church and a mosque) burned down
The government shut down a northern radio station that had
broadcast conspiracy theories about polio vaccination being a plot by
Christians to poison Moslems.
In northern Gombe State gunmen on motorcycles fired on a group
of men playing cards and killed five of them. Boko Haram is violently
opposed to playing cards, listening to music, dancing and many other
forms of entertainment.
February 22, 2013: Iran denied that it had trained a Nigerian
Shia cleric in espionage techniques and asked the man to recruit locals
and gather information on the activities of Israelis and Americans in
southwestern Nigeria (where the cleric, and many Shia) live. Nigerian
police had revealed, two days easier, the arrest and interrogation of
the three Shia Nigerian Moslems. The three had admitted spying for Iran
and provided many details.
February 21, 2013: The government ordered a search in the
north, along the Cameroon border, for seven French citizens kidnapped
two days ago in Cameroon.
February 20, 2013: In the northern city of Maiduguri people
woke to find posters in several neighborhoods proclaiming that Boko
Haram had not agreed to a ceasefire. Maiduguri is in Borno State and the
state government had been reporting negotiations with Boko Haram for a
ceasefire. Elsewhere in Maiduguri a suicide bomber attempted to attack
some soldiers but only managed to kill himself and two civilians.
February 19, 2013: A French family (parents, an uncle and
four children aged 5-12) were kidnapped in the north of Nigeria’s
southern neighbor Cameroon. The hostages were apparently taken across
the border to Nigeria. There are about 6,000 French citizens in Cameroon
and all were subsequently warned to stay away from the Nigerian border.
Boko Haram later denied they were responsible and no one has yet
demanded any ransom or admitted they have the seven.
February 18, 2013: Ansaru (for Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis
Sudan, or "Vanguards for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa")
claimed responsibility for the recent kidnapping seven foreign workers
in northern Bauchi State. Ansaru is a Boko Haram splinter group that has
become more active recently after first declaring its existence a year
ago (and then largely disappearing from view). Ansaru objects to the
many Moslems who are being killed by Boko Haram attacks and wants to
concentrate on attacks that only kill foreigners or non-Moslem
Nigerians. It is unclear how large Ansaru is, and how much violence
within Boko Haram, if any, will result from the split. It is believed
that there is considerable strife between Boko Haram leaders, with many
strong-willed men, each with an armed following, trying to control the
entire movement. At the moment most of these disagreements are put
aside. Ansaru appears to be very small, perhaps only a hundred or so
members, and more interested (than Boko Haram) in working closely with
Islamic terror groups operating in the new terrorist sanctuary of
northern Mali. This may encourage other extremist factions in Boko Haram
to split off and create even more radical and violent groups like
Ansaru.
February 17, 2013: Pirates kidnapped six crewmen from a
commercial ship off the coast and later demanded a ransom of $1.27
million. This is the fifth such incident this month.
February 16, 2013: In northern Bauchi State armed men raided a
construction site and kidnapped seven foreign workers (Briton, an
Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese).
February 15, 2013: In the northern city of Maiduguri two
suicide bombers attempted to attack some soldiers but only managed to
kill themselves and wound a civilian.
Reports from Mail indicate that the first 162 Nigerian troops
sent there are not being adequately supplied and have had to ask for
food from local leaders. Eventually 1,200 Nigerian troops will be in
Mali to help with the peacekeeping.
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