Critical Analysis of Boko Haram Insurgency

Abstract

The Boko Haram insurgency first appeared in Maiduguri in Borno State, northeast Nigeria around 2002. The group's objective was to establish an Islamic state and institutionalize Sharia law in Nigeria, particularly the northeast region. Boko Haram activities in the northeast of Nigeria have created a serious security threat to Nigeria and its neighbors in the Lake Chad region. The group engaged in guerrilla warfare using indiscriminate attacks on civilians, and military forces. Despite efforts by the Nigerian government to combat the group, Boko Haram's activities continue to spread across the region. To address the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria, this study looked at Mao's Theory of Revolutionary War as a guide to understand the group. The research analysis revealed that the Boko Haram insurgency has closely adhered to Mao's theory of revolutionary war since its inception. This means that Mao's theory of revolutionary war can be applied to the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria in order to find more effective methods than have been used so far by the government of Nigeria to fight Boko Haram. Therefore, this paper recommends the government of Nigeria use efforts to defeat the group focused on; socio economic development, improved intelligence network, training and equipping the army and military collaboration with allies among others.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 09, 2017
Accession Number
AD1038853

Entities

People

  • Sadau Z. Azama

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Guerrilla Warfare
  • Human Population
  • Insurgency
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • Police
  • Social Media
  • Societies
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.