2014 turned out to be an extremely eventful year. The annexation of Crimea, the beginning of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the armed coup in Thailand, the operation "indestructible rock" in the Gaza Strip, the rapid advance of ISIS * in Syria and Iraq. Against this backdrop, the mass kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls in April 2014 by the little-known group Boko Haram * drowned somewhat in the flows of informational noise. Meanwhile, the group is one of the burning hotbeds of extremism on the black continent and a global threat to all of West Africa.

As a background, it is worth talking a little about Islam in Africa. The first Muslims crossed the territories of modern Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea to find refuge in modern Ethiopia as early as the beginning of the 7th century. The majority of Muslims in Africa are Sunnis, however African Islam is not static and is constantly changing under the influence of social, economic, and political conditions. Often it adapts to African cultural contexts and attitudes, and forms various new forms.

The direct spread of Islam in West Africa is associated with the so-called Fulani (or Fula) Jihad. The Fula originate in the valley of the Senegal River, where they founded their kingdoms. Until about the beginning of the 9th century, they continued their migration to the regions of Bundu, Bamboo, Diomboko, Kaarta and Bagan. And around the 11th century AD, Islam took root among them.

From 1750 to 1900 they participated in a large number of holy wars (jihad) under the banner of Islam. In the first half of the 19th century, two important empires conquered the Fula. One was based in Masina, controlled by Timbuktu, the other, Sokoto, included the Hausa city-states (Hausaland, northern Nigeria, southern Niger), part of Borno and Western Cameroon.

As a result, the Caliphate of Sokoto was created - an Islamic state with Sharia law, a caliph and emirs. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sokoto was included in the British Protectorate of Nigeria, but the regional elite retained their power. At present, the Sultans of Sokoto have retained their power as the spiritual heads of the Muslims of Nigeria.

Dormant for a long time, Islam in Nigeria began to gain strength from the end of the 20th century. The 1963 census showed that 26 percent of Nigerians were Muslims, 62 percent were Christians, and 14 percent had traditional beliefs. However, since 1990, Islam began to permeate the daily life of Nigerians. Public meetings began and ended with Muslim prayer, and most of the population knew at least a few Arabic prayers and the five pillars of the religion. In 2009, the number of Muslims exceeded the number of Christians.

Large numbers of Muslims live in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Swahili Coast and much of West Africa. There are also a smaller but still significant number of immigrants in South Africa.

In the context of the general Islamization of the region, it is not surprising that there is a tendency towards an increase in the number of radical Islamic groups. One of them was Boko Haram, founded by Mohammed Yusuf around 2002 in the city of Maiduguri.

The official name of the group is "Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad" (translated from Arabic - the Society of Adherents of the Propagation of the Teachings of the Prophet and Jihad). It received the name "Boko Haram" (house Boko haram) from the residents of the city of Maiduguri, in which Yusuf built a religious complex that included a mosque and a school. Boko Haram translates as "Western education is forbidden" or "Western education is sinful". Although the stated purpose of the building was to teach religion to children, the complex was used to recruit supporters.

The main goal of the organization is the introduction of Sharia throughout Nigeria and the eradication of the Western way of life. According to the members of the group, any public and political activity associated with Western values ​​should be banned, including: voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers, and secular education. The government of Nigeria, from the point of view of Boko Haram, is "corrupted" by Western ideas and consists of "non-believers", even if the president is formally a Muslim, therefore it should be overthrown, and the country should be governed on the basis of sharia law, stricter than the current in the northern states of Nigeria.

In 2009, an attempted insurgency was launched, the purpose of which was to create an Islamic state in the northern part of Nigeria, governed by Sharia law. However, he was suppressed, the Maiduguri base was stormed, and Mohammed Yusuf was arrested by the police and later died under unclear circumstances.

April 14, 2014 - a group kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a lyceum in the village of Chibok (Borno state). The leader of the organization, Abubakar Shekau, explained the attack on the educational institution by saying that “girls should leave school and get married. On August 21, the group's fighters captured the city of Buni Yadi (Yobe). At the same time, the group announced the creation of a caliphate in the territory under its control.

By early 2015, Boko Haram had taken over an area in the northeast the size of Belgium. However, over the following months, a military operation by Nigerian forces, supported by foreign mercenaries and troops from neighboring countries, caused serious damage to the terrorists.

The bulk of the Boko Haram militants are representatives of the Kanuri people; despite frequent attacks outside the Kanuri ethnic territory, attempts to gain a foothold in them were unsuccessful. Due to the incomprehensibility of the Kanuri language for most Nigerians, the Hausa and Fulbe languages ​​are widely used in the movement.

At the moment, the group operates in addition to Nigeria in parts of the territory of Cameroon, Niger and Chad. A characteristic feature inherent in this organization is exorbitant cruelty and bloodthirstiness, as a result of the actions of Boko Haram, according to approximate estimates, about 20,000 people died and about 2.3 million people were forced to leave their homes. Estimates of the size of the group vary considerably. Most sources estimate it in the range of 7-10 thousand people, but there are more radical estimates: up to 15 thousand.

Funding sources are generally quite classic: kidnappings, human trafficking, drug trafficking. In addition, the group is believed to receive funding from a number of corrupt elites who use its capabilities for their own purposes.

Boko Haram was traditionally thought to have close ties to al-Qaeda* in the Maghreb and Al-Shabaab*, but in March 2015 they swore allegiance to the Islamic State* changing their name to " West African province of the "Islamic State"» (Islamic State’s West Africa Province, ISWAP).

The difficulty in the fight against this group is represented by a number of factors. Along with the classical problems for Africa in building a state, overcoming ethnic disunity, total poverty and lack of education of the population, there are also global trends in the growing popularity of radical Islam. All this is superimposed on the deplorable picture for Nigeria of falling oil prices, which practically eliminates the ability of a corrupt and weakened state mechanism to actively, organized resistance.

Although, I must say, there has been a long-standing discussion among analysts why the large Nigerian army turned out to be so weak, especially when recalling the contrast when its soldiers played an important role in retaliatory strikes in West Africa in the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

It is believed that the militants of Boko Haram are opposed by about 35 thousand troops of 4 states (Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon). But despite the significant numerical advantage, these forces are clearly not enough. Also, in March 2015, the African Union supported the creation of a regional association to fight Boko Haram with more than eight thousand people.

By 햄방이 - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39805121

The United States also participates to a limited extent in the fight against Boko Haram. A small contingent of troops is stationed in Cameroon, and several dozen "Green Berets" (US Army Special Operations Forces) have been sent to Chad and Nigeria to train the armed forces of these countries. The United Kingdom also provides assistance at approximately the same level.

Regarding the global danger of Boko Haram for the entire continent (in the context of the general Islamization of Africa), there is no consensus. On the one hand, a geographically isolated and underdeveloped group from sub-Saharan Africa is unlikely to directly threaten countries outside its region.

On the other hand, the continent is simply dotted with pockets of instability and rotting ulcers of Islamic terrorism, and if you try to just conserve the situation, at one moment it may turn out to be too late. Pessimism is also added by the absence of strong players in this field. Ironically, once the most developed and powerful states of the continent, they themselves are the sources of the greatest danger. Torn apart, Libya is the epicenter of the Maghreb instability, Egypt is mired in the fight against the Muslim Brotherhood and militants in the Sinai Peninsula, Nigeria is unable to cope with its own demons, and South Africa is no longer the powerful “African Lion” that hit the world with economic growth.

*Organizations recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia

About the origin of terrorism in Afghanistan

About the formation of the origins of ISIS in Iraq

I think many people have heard about this terrorist organization in the news, but not many people know how it operates specifically and what it wants.

Boko Haram originated in 2002 in the North of Nigeria. Its founder is the Islamic preacher Mohammed Yusuf, who denied the achievements of Western science and culture (in one of the local languages, Boko Haram means “Western education is sinful”). According to this preacher, the idea that the Earth has the shape of a ball, and the water makes a cycle, passing from one state to another, is contrary to Islam.

At the same time, Yusuf believed that all the troubles of Nigeria were connected with the false values ​​that the British colonialists had imposed on his people.

On July 26, 2009, Yusuf launched an uprising aimed at creating a Sharia state. Three days later, the police captured the Boko Haram stronghold, along with its leader, who died the next day under unclear circumstances at the police station.

Well, it would seem that's all?! However, no. The place of the leader was taken by Abubakar Shekau - he made sure that Boko Haram was talked about all over the world. Real terror began - not only Christians, but also overly liberal Muslim preachers became victims of Boko Haram.

Here it is necessary to explain that such countries as Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic and Congo (Brazoville) are very closely interconnected, both economically and culturally. Citizens of these countries freely cross each other's borders. Any event that takes place in one of these countries automatically affects the state of affairs in their neighbors, and, according to Cameroonians, Boko Haram is a real disaster for the entire region.

How does Boko Haram work? I think many people remember the film "Professional" with Belmondo in the title role. There is such an episode when an armed army column enters an African village. Negroes jump out of round houses and run wherever their eyes look. Something like this, leaving all their property, people run away from Boka Haaram, because when the militants enter the village, they kill everyone in a row, without asking who is a Christian and who is a Muslim.

But if someone asks for mercy, they give him a machine gun, from which he shoots his countrymen. Next, the recruit is sent to storm another village. Thus, any member of the group is tied to it by blood.

According to my interlocutors, the Nigerian government did not take any action for a long time, preferring to ignore Boka Haram (all Africans like to accuse their leaders of inaction). People in Nigeria have already taken up their grandfather's spears and bows, and in some cases they themselves rebuffed the terrorists, but their possibilities in this, of course, were limited.


Moreover, even regular Nigerian troops capitulated to the terrorists. There was a case when an entire military unit retreated or rather fled to the territory of Cameroon, where they soon laid down their arms and surrendered to the Cameroonian troops.

As the atrocities escalated into war, the Nigerian government finally approached the militants directly, asking what do you want? Abubakar Shekau rejected the talks without honoring the president with any response. The question is why? The answer means he gets strong and powerful support.

At the moment, his organization is armed with the most modern French and American weapons. The backbone of Boka Haram are notorious thugs who have been well trained.


Northern Nigeria is said to be literally depopulated. The people are fleeing to neighboring Cameroon, whose authorities have set up refugee camps. If earlier people freely visited each other, now, if a relative came from neighboring Nigeria, it is necessary to report this to the police, who will send the brother, mother or sister to a special camp where the person will be checked for involvement in Boka Haram.

In some cases, such measures make it possible to identify intelligence fighters or simply terrorists who want to break with Boka Haram. However, by and large, this does not bring results, and it causes terrible inconveniences, such as curfews, for example. After 20:00, local residents cannot get to their hometown, and are forced to spend the night in the fields. At the same time, tourism was completely stopped in the North of Cameroon, due to which many people lived.

The President of Chad expressed the general idea - to create a joint army and start fighting on the territory of Nigeria.

Create a joint army?! Do Africans even have one?

For example, when I had a chance to talk with the commandant of the Faro district in the rank of captain, I found out that the captain belongs to the Airborne Forces, and during his career he has .... scary to think ... as many as two parachute jumps. And this is the elite of their armed forces !!!

Vysotsky was right: How can a schoolboy fight with the best punks?

So the regular military units retreat before the terrorists. Aircraft are already being used. On December 31, 2014, Cameroonian aircraft bombed terrorists who had invaded its territory. Bombed then bombed, reported, but this most likely did not give results.

Subsequently, our driver Bishair told us how on February 19, 2014, terrorists captured his friends - a French family. This case was in the center of world news, which is why the family was released after 2 days (for money).

But Nigerian girls were much less fortunate. In April 2014, in the town of Chibok, about 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped right from the college. Further, in another city, the extremists abducted about 150 more girls (subsequently 57 managed to escape, but they did not understand where they were).

Why were girls kidnapped from college? Extremists believe that women can only be educated in the mosque. In any case, after that, the world was finally puzzled by the problem of Boka Haram.

In May 2014, the United Nations Security Council designated Boka Haaram as a terrorist organization.

And what about the captured girls? A wave of protests began in Nigeria and around the world. People demanded that the children be released, even Michelle Obama called for the speedy release of schoolgirls.


However, this did not give any results. The seizures and killings continued. In November 2014, Abubakar Shekau released on videotape announcing that all the schoolgirls had converted to Islam, got married and were now pregnant. According to my interlocutors, when they see this person on TV, each time they note his obvious inadequacy.

And what about the world community? How did the Good Empire respond to the challenge of the terrorists? She proposed to place her military base in Nigeria to fight Boka Haram.

Stop! This is precisely what Africans fear the most - and here one can draw a devastatingly clear conclusion why the terrorists have the most modern American and French weapons, and why they do not negotiate.

In the former French Africa, everything is very difficult. All these countries are closely connected with France, which used them before as colonies. The inhabitants of central Africa are unusually active politically, in any case, world politics and especially the foreign policy of France, like football, are a favorite topic of conversation.

And if the French show their news in this region, prioritizing good and evil, then the Africans go from the opposite - bad for France, then good for us, they apply such assessments in the state of affairs with Russia. Africa is the eternal opposition of Europe, but there are reasons for this.

Under Sarkozy, there was such a case in Chad. The military of this country blocked the plane ready for takeoff. On board in large numbers were local children, whom the French husband and wife tried to take to France. The kidnappers were arrested. After 4 days, Sarkozy flew to Chad, asking to extradite his compatriots to him, publicly promising to condemn them in France. The Africans gave up the attackers, but Sarkozy did not keep his word. The Africans continued to resent, but the husband and wife were convicted only under the next president.

Africans are sure that the West is testing their medicines on them, and their children are being kidnapped for organs.

So the question is, will Africans want to host a military base of the French or Americans to fight incomprehensible terrorists? Naturally not.

The situation is clearly at an impasse. There is no clear front line either in Cameroon or in Chad, but the fighting is going on. Boka Haram makes forays wherever he wants, and at the same time, the North of Nigeria is her fiefdom.

As of May 2014, more than 10,000 people have died at the hands of this terrorist organization.
Recently, Boka Haram has also been using suicide bombers. In the first ten days of January in Nigeria, a kamikaze girl entered her classroom and set off an explosive device - 20 classmates died with her.

Now, when we have already returned to Moscow, a message has come from Bishair - Boka Haram is operating already 30 km away. from his house. The people are in a terrible panic. People are leaving everything, trying to move already in Cameroon itself to safer areas.
Thus, another area is being organized in the world where you can make war.

Let's hope for the best!

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At present, the threat of terrorist attacks from representatives of the radical movements of Islam is acquiring enormous proportions, having already become a global problem. Moreover, criminal organizations that profess and propagate Salafi Islam operate not only in the Middle East. They are also present on the African continent. In addition to the well-known Al-Shabab and Al-Qaeda, these include, in particular, the radical Boko Haram group, which has already become famous all over the planet for its monstrous and horrific crimes. One way or another, but the plans of the leaders of this religious structure are quite large-scale, therefore, in order to achieve the “great” goal, they will continue to kill innocent people. The African authorities are trying to counter Islamist terrorists, but this does not always work out. What is the radical structure of Boko Haram? Let's consider this question in more detail.

History reference

The founder and ideologist of the above organization is a man who is known as Mohammed Yusuf. It was he who in 2002 created a training center in the city of Maiduguri (Nigeria).

His offspring was named "Boko Haram", which translated into Russian means "Western is a sin." The principle of rejection of Western European civilization was the basis of the slogan of his grouping. Soon, Boko Haram transformed into the main opposition force against the Nigerian authorities, and the ideologist of the radicals accused the government of being a puppet in the hands of the West.

Doctrine

What did Mohammed Yusuf and his followers want to achieve? It is natural that his native country should live according to Sharia law, and all the achievements of Western European culture, science, and art should be rejected once and for all. Even wearing a suit and tie was positioned as something alien. It is noteworthy that Boko Haram does not have any political agenda. All that the radicals know how to do is to commit crimes: kidnapping officials, subversive activities and killings of civilians. The organization is funded by robberies, hostage ransoms, and private investment.

Attempt to seize power

So, with the question of what is Boko Haram in Nigeria today, much is clear. And what was the group a few years ago?

She was just gaining strength and power. At the end of the 2000s, Mohammed Yusuf tried to seize power in the country by force, but the action was severely suppressed, and he himself was sent to prison, where he was killed. But soon Boko Haram had a new leader - a certain Abubakar Shekau, who continued the policy of terror.

Scale of activity

Currently, the Nigerian group refers to itself as the "West African province of the Islamic State." The number of the organization that controls the northeastern lands of Nigeria is about 5-6 thousand militants. But the geography of criminal activity extends beyond the borders of the country: terrorists operate in Cameroon, and in Chad, and in other African countries. Alas, the authorities alone cannot cope with the terrorists: they need help from outside. In the meantime, hundreds and thousands of innocent people are suffering.

Not so long ago, the leader of radical terrorists swore allegiance to the criminal organization "Islamic State". As proof of their loyalty to ISIS, Boko Haram sent about 200 of its men to Libya to wage war.

Mass terror

The crimes committed by Nigerian radicals are striking in their cruelty, thereby terrifying civilians. Police killings, terrorist attacks and the destruction of Christian churches are just some of the atrocities committed by extremists.

In 2015 alone, Boko Haram militants in Cameroon abducted people, during the pogrom of the city of Fotokol, they killed more than a hundred people, initiated a terrorist attack in Abadam. In addition, they killed civilians in Njab and abducted women and children in Damascus.

In the spring of 2014, the UN Security Council announced that the radical Nigerian Islamist organization Boko Haram had been designated a terrorist group.

Another egregious atrocity was committed by terrorists in the village of Chibok. There they captured more than 270 schoolgirls. This case immediately became widespread. Law enforcement agencies carefully thought out the operation to free the captives. But, alas, only a few were saved. Most of the girls were converted to Islam, after which they were forcibly married off.

Killing children

A shocking and monstrous crime occurred in the village of Dalori, located near the city of Maidaguri (north-east of the country).

It was found that members of the Boko Haram group burned 86 children. According to eyewitnesses who miraculously managed to escape, militants on motorcycles and cars broke into the village, opened fire on civilians and threw grenades at their homes. The bodies of children burned alive turned into a pile of ashes. But it just pissed off. The criminals destroyed two refugee camps.

Control measures

Naturally, the authorities could not but respond to a whole series of terrorist attacks by radicals. Moreover, not only in Nigeria, but also in Cameroon, Niger and Benin, they pledged to punish them. Consultations were held at which the problem of countering extremists was discussed in detail. As a result, a plan was developed for the deployment of the Mixed Multinational Force (SMS), which was supposed to eliminate the militants. According to preliminary estimates, the strength of the army of security forces should be almost 9 thousand soldiers, and not only the military, but also the police took part in the operation.

Operation plan

The zone of operations for the destruction of militants was divided into three parts, in each of which a state is based. One is located in Baga (on the coast of Lake Chad), another is in Gamboru (near the border with Cameroon), and the third is in the border town of Mora (northeast Nigeria).

As for the headquarters of the Mixed Multinational Force, it will be located in N'Djamena. Nigerian General Illiya Abaha, who had experience in destroying militants, was appointed to lead the operation.

The authorities of the countries hope that they will be able to eliminate the Boko Haram group by the end of this year, believing that the war with the radicals will not take long.

What can slow down the process?

However, not everything is as simple as we would like. For the operation to be successful, SMS governments need to address domestic social issues as soon as possible. The militants use for their own purposes the dissatisfaction of Islamist citizens with a low standard of living, corruption and the arbitrariness of the authorities. In Nigeria, half of the inhabitants are Muslims.

One more circumstance that can negatively affect the speed of the operation cannot be discounted. The fact is that the authorities of many states of the African continent have been weakened by civil wars that have been going on for more than a year.

The government has simply lost control over part of its territories, where real anarchy reigns. This is what the radical elements take advantage of, swaying the Muslims, who are unstable in their choice of political orientation, to their side.

One way or another, but the security forces have already managed to carry out a number of successful operations to destroy terrorists. For example, militants were liquidated in the forest, not far from the city of Maiduguri. Also west of the city of Kusseri (northeast Cameroon), the SMS army eliminated about 40 members of Boko Haram.

Unfortunately, the Western media today rarely pay attention to the crimes against civilians committed by the Boko Haram organization on the territory of the African continent. All attention is focused on the Islamic State, although the threat posed by the Nigerian group is also very serious. Newspapers and magazines in Nigeria simply do not have the power to tell the world about their problems. One can only hope that the situation will someday change, and the West will not ignore the problems of terrorism in South Africa.

Boko Haram is a radical Nigerian Islamist organization. It was founded in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri. It was founded by Mohammed Yusuf. Boko Haram's official name is "people committed to the teachings of the Prophet about preaching and jihad." The militants of the organization operate not only in Nigeria, but also carry out raids in neighboring states - Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The main goal of the organization is the introduction of Sharia throughout Nigeria and the eradication of everything Western - culture, science, education, voting in elections, wearing shirts and pants.

Boko Haram as seen by cartoonists:

Unlike other Islamist groups, Boko Haram does not have a clear doctrine. At first, the militants of this organization mainly kidnapped people and staged assassination attempts on national and local politicians. But then they moved on to subversive actions aimed at a large number of victims.

On July 26, 2009, Mohammed Yusuf attempted a rebellion, the purpose of which was to create an Islamic state in the north of the country, governed on the basis of Sharia law. After 3 days, the police stormed the group's base in Maiduguri. Mohammed Yusuf was arrested by the police and later died under unclear circumstances. Boko Haram is currently led by Abubakara Shekau.

The organization's sources of funding are robberies, including bank robberies, ransoms for hostages, as well as private contributions from merchants in the northern region, who use the group to fight for power.

Since the activation of the Boko Haram group in 2009, more than 13 thousand people have died as a result of terrorist attacks and attacks that are carried out on a regular basis, more than 1.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes and become displaced.

Here are just a few of the crimes committed by Boko Haram militants in 2015:
  • January 18 - 80 people were kidnapped in northern Cameroon, most of them children.
  • February 4 - More than 100 people were killed during an attack on the city of Fotokol.
  • February 17 - committed a terrorist attack in Abadam
  • March 3 - 68 people were killed in the city of Nzhab
  • March 7 - swore allegiance to ISIS.
  • March 24 - Attacked the cities of Damasac and kidnapped at least 400 women and children.
​

Militants attack police stations, terrorize Christian parishes and believers.

In April last year, militants abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from a lyceum in the village of Chibok. Despite a wide response and a campaign to free schoolgirls, the efforts of the international community were not crowned with success. Only a few managed to escape, the rest, according to the leader of the organization, Abubakar Shekau, were forced to convert to Islam and forced into marriage.

In May 2014, Boko Haram was designated a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council.

New Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected at the end of March, announced his firm intention to rid the country of the militants of the Islamist group Boko Haram.

Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Central African Republic, Benin are fighting together against Boko Haram terrorists. They are actively assisted by European countries, in particular Britain and France.

About the most brutal terrorist group in the world

The Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram in the ranking of the "global index of terrorism", calculated by the number of attacks, the number of deaths and the level of material damage caused, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, in 2015 took the third "prize" place after Iraq and Afghanistan. However, by the number of those killed, it was recognized as the most brutal and bloody extremist group in the world.

On her account in 2014, there were 6644 lost souls. According to this indicator, it even surpassed the "Islamic State", whose victims then became 6073 people. However, until the kidnapping of 276 girls in April 2014 from a boarding school in the town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria, and until the oath of allegiance to the Islamic State in March 2015, the activities of this extremist organization in the world media did not receive adequate coverage.

Established in 2002 by Muhammad Yusuf, a well-known Islamic preacher in the north of Nigeria, in the city of Maiduguri in the state of Borno, from a small religious sect by now it has become one of the most active terrorist groups in Africa. Its official name, translated from Arabic, is the "Society of Adherents of the Propagation of the Teachings of the Prophet and Jihad." In the Hausa language, "Boko Haram" means "Western education is a sin." The main goal of the group is the introduction of Sharia law throughout Nigeria, including where Christians live, the eradication of the Western way of life and the creation of an Islamic state.
At the heart of the conflict between the adherents of this movement and the central government of the country, in addition to the ideological factor, are primarily socio-economic reasons, exacerbated by chronic political instability and acute inter-tribal and regional contradictions. Despite the fact that the average per capita income in Nigeria is about $ 2,700 a year, its population is one of the poorest in the world. Approximately 70% of Nigerians live on $1.25 a day. At the same time, 72% of the population lives in conditions of poverty in the northern states, 35% in the eastern states and 27% in the western states.

The bulk of Boko Haram supporters are students of religious educational institutions in the northern regions of the country, university students and employees who have lost their jobs, a huge contingent of unemployed rural youth, urban lower classes, and religious fanatics.

Representatives of the Muslim elite of the northern states have also been seen in sympathy for Boko Haram. Ethnically, the backbone of the group is made up of people from the Kanuri tribe, which accounts for 4% of the approximately 178 million population of the country.

Having begun their terrorist activities in the state of Borno in northeastern Nigeria, the militants of the organization began to gradually spread it to other parts of the country, attacking the posts of the Nigerian army and police stations. However, despite the warnings of the Governor of the Plateau State, retired General Y. Jang, about the threat of a dangerous terrorist organization, the authorities in Abuja considered cases of attacks by extremists on their opponents as manifestations of ordinary banditry and religious clashes that have been taking place here regularly since the country's independence.

The apotheosis of terror was the attempted rebellion on July 26, 2009 by Boko Haram, led by its leader Muhammad Yusuf, to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. In response, the Nigerian government declared an all-out war to eradicate this organization. The Nigerian army and security forces carried out large-scale operations to physically destroy the Islamists. In total, about 800 militants were liquidated, including their leader, who was allegedly killed while trying to escape. Within a few months, Boko Haram was believed by the Nigerian authorities to be over. But, as the further development of events showed, the group was not destroyed, it only stopped its activities for a while, going underground.

The Algerian terrorist group Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), operating in the Sahel zone, made a lot of efforts to revive Boko Haram. The surviving supporters of Mohammed Yusuf, who fled from Nigeria, met in Chad with representatives of AQIM, who offered them their services to restore the organization. Algerian terrorist leader Abdelmalek Drukdel promised his "Salafi brothers" weapons and equipment to take revenge on the ruling "Christian minority" in Nigeria for the murders of the "martyr Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf" and his Muslim companions. Many members of the group were sent to training camps in Arab countries and Pakistan. Abubakar Shekau, who became the head of the organization, traveled to Saudi Arabia with a group of his supporters, where he met with representatives of Al-Qaeda and discussed issues of military training for militants and obtaining financial assistance.

As for the sources of funding for the organization, back in 2002, Osama bin Laden sent one of his associates to Nigeria to distribute $ 3 million among local Salafists. And one of the recipients of this assistance was Mohammed Yusuf. At the initial stage of the group's activities, the main source of funding was donations from its members. But after establishing links with the Algerian AQIM, Boko Haram opened channels for receiving assistance from various Islamist groups in Saudi Arabia and the UK, including the Al-Muntada Trust Fand and the World Islamic Society. In February 2014, Nigerian police arrested Sheikh Muhyiddin Abdullahi, director of this foundation in Nigeria, on suspicion of financing Boko Haram. Even earlier, in September 2012, David Elton, a member of the House of Lords of the English Parliament, accused the same fund of helping Nigerian terrorists.

A significant source of Boko Haram's income is the kidnapping of foreigners and wealthy Nigerians. Nigerian Islamists do not shy away from banal robbery, making regular attacks on the branches of local banks.

Based on the fact that, according to the French Ministry of Defense, each recruit who joins Boko Haram receives an introductory bonus of 100 euros, and for subsequent participation in each military operation 1000 euros and for the seizure of weapons 2000 euros, you can make the conclusion that the financial base of the group is quite significant.

After its resurgence in 2010, Boko Haram exploded into activity, carrying out hundreds of mass terrorist attacks in the following years, which killed thousands of people. So, in September 2010, militants attacked a prison in the city of Bauchi, which contained members of the organization arrested during the rebellion. Approximately 800 prisoners, of which about 120 are members of Boko Haram, have been released. In August 2011, a suicide bomber in a car bomb rammed the entrance to the UN headquarters building in Abuja. The explosion killed 23 people and injured 80. January 2012 was marked by six explosions in the city of Kano, the second largest in Nigeria. The jihadists attacked the regional police headquarters, the state security office and the immigration office. A month later, Islamists stormed a prison in the city of Coton Karifi, freeing 119 prisoners.

In recent years, the scope of Boko Haram's terrorist activities has extended beyond Nigeria to Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, which the United States provides assistance in training military personnel, supplies weapons, while defiantly refusing to supply weapons to Nigeria due to gross violations of human rights by the Nigerian army. towards civilians. The most resonant operations carried out by jihadists in Cameroon were the abductions from the home village of the wife of the country's vice president and Sultan Kolofat with his family in July 2014 and 10 Chinese construction workers in May. They were all released in October 2014, apparently for a ransom, but the Cameroonian authorities declined to comment on this. No less high-profile actions were carried out in Chad, where, as a result of explosions in the capital of the country, N'Djamena, arranged near the buildings of the police academy and the main police headquarters, by four suicide bombers, on June 15, 2015, 27 people were killed and about 100 were injured of varying severity.

In total, over the past 6 years in Nigeria and neighboring countries, about 20 thousand people have died at the hands of Boko Haram militants and more than 2 million have been placed in the position of temporarily displaced persons.

Against the backdrop of a sharp increase in the terrorist activities of Boko Haram, many in Nigeria began to wonder: is it not a banal political tool used by influential figures in the North and South of Nigeria, as well as external forces to put pressure on the federal authorities? In this regard, the statement of the spiritual leader of the Muslims of Nigeria, Sultan Sokoto Abubakar Mohammed Saad, that "Boko Haram is still a mystery" deserves the most serious attention. He urged the Nigerian authorities to launch a thorough investigation "to get to the bottom of the matter" about the group. “I think there is a bigger picture that no one sees, except for those who are behind it,” the Sultan stressed. According to some analysts, the purposeful elevation of Boko Haram, a purely local extremist organization, from the very beginning to the level of a national, and today a serious regional threat, is explained by the fact that they are going to use it to aggravate interfaith and intertribal relations in order to weaken the central government. or even for the collapse of the state at a time that the forces behind it will deem most suitable for themselves. In addition to external actors, this may be of interest not only to part of the northern elite, but also to certain circles in the southern regions who dream of a “new Biafra” (about the secession of oil-producing states from Nigeria) and do not want to share income from oil exports with northerners.

In one of his speeches, speaking about terrorism, former President Goodluck Jonathan noted that there are even sympathizers of Boko Haram in the government and secret services.

As for the position of the United States in relation to the processes taking place in Nigeria, and to the terrorist organization in particular, this position, as well as on many other issues, bears the stamp of double standards. After announcing the inclusion of three leaders of the group led by Abubakar Shekau on the list of international terrorists, the US State Department, until November 2013, when the victims of jihadists began to number in the thousands, opposed the inclusion of Boko Haram on the register of terrorist organizations on the grounds that it "does not poses a direct danger to the United States” and is only a threat of regional significance. And this despite the fact that back in 2011, the head of the US Africa Command, General Carter Ham, noted that the three largest groups in Africa, namely the Algerian Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb, the Somali Al-Shabab and the Nigerian Boko Haram strengthen ties to carry out terrorist actions against the United States. Each of them, the general emphasized, poses "a significant threat not only to the region, but also to the United States." And the leaders of Boko Haram themselves have repeatedly threatened attacks on American facilities, calling the United States a "prostitute country, infidels and liars."

The presence of such a strong leverage on the government of Nigeria as the terrorist organization Boko Haram, although sponsored by other forces, for the time being did not at all contradict the “national interests” of the United States in Africa, where China is beginning to acquire ever-increasing influence.

Gaining unprecedented momentum cooperation between Nigeria and China causes serious concern in Washington.

Trade between the two countries increased from $384 million in 1998 to $18 billion in 2014. The PRC has invested more than $4 billion in the country's oil infrastructure and has developed a four-year plan to develop Nigerian trade, agriculture, telecommunications and construction. According to conservative estimates, Beijing has invested more than $13 billion in the Nigerian economy as of 2015. In November 2014, a contract was signed between China and Nigeria for the implementation of the largest Chinese infrastructure project abroad worth $11.97 billion - the construction of a 1,402 km railway from the economic capital of the country, Lagos, to the city of Calabar in the east.

During his visit to Beijing in April this year, the current President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, noted "China's sincere desire to help Nigeria", stressed that "Nigeria should not miss such a chance." All this contributes to the rapid growth of the authority of the Celestial Empire and sympathy for it from the local population. According to a BBC poll conducted in 2014, 85% of Nigerians view the activities of the Chinese in their country positively, and only 1% disapproves. According to the experts who conducted this study, this gives reason to consider Nigeria the most pro-Chinese country in the world. And, as noted in one of the publications, this cannot but worry the United States. So do not be surprised if one day the world community suddenly considers, the observer writes, that the Nigerian president has "lost legitimacy" and the country needs "democratic transformation" under outside jurisdiction. Is it not for this reason that the government of Nigeria, quite unexpectedly, to the great regret of the Americans, refused in December 2014 the services of the United States in the preparation of a separate Nigerian counter-terrorism battalion, and in 2015, according to Nigerian media, turned to Russia, China and Israel with a request to assist in the training of special forces and supply the necessary military equipment and equipment to combat Boko Haram.

With the coming to power of President Mohammed Buhari in May 2015 and the creation of an inter-ethnic force consisting of 8,700 members of Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, Boko Haram caused serious military damage. The bulk of the militants took refuge in the hard-to-reach forest area of ​​Sambisa on the border with Niger, the other part went underground, from where they continue to carry out terrorist attacks. Despite the losses suffered, the group still poses a great threat to the security of the region and retains combat capabilities for conducting serious operations. So, as recently as June 4 this year, it attacked a military garrison near the village of Bosso in the southeast of Niger, as a result of which 30 servicemen from Niger were killed, 2 from Nigeria and 67 people were injured. According to AFP, hundreds of militants were involved in the operation.

When assessing the prospects for the further development of Islamic radicalism in Nigeria, one should certainly take into account the dynamics of the Islamization of the country, which is noticeably gaining momentum.

According to the American research organization PEW, 63% of Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, are in favor of the introduction of sharia law, and more than half of those surveyed believe that the Islamic caliphate will be re-established during their lifetime.

If we add to this that the economic basis and other factors that contribute to the growth of terrorism, such as a huge gap in the incomes of the poor and the local elite, unprecedented levels of corruption, tribal and regional rivalry not only persist, but very often tend to escalate, then the fight against terrorism in Nigeria will drag on for years to come. This is evidenced, among other things, by the practice of counter-terrorist struggle against AQIM in Algeria and Al-Shabab in Somalia, which, despite all possible measures to neutralize them, continue their terrorist activities, spreading it to new countries. The recent bloody attacks by jihadists in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya confirm this unfavorable conclusion.

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