Countering Boko Haram

Earlier this month, extremist group Boko Haram occupied new chunks of territory in northeastern Nigeria, including the town of Chibok – widely known because of the media attention it received following the #BringBackOurGirls campaign last spring. Although Nigeria’s military recaptured the town a few days later with the help of local armed groups, swathes of northern Nigeria remain unstable at best. Suicide-bomb attacks have claimed dozens of victims in Azar, while people in Maiduguri, where schools are now reopening following eight months of closure, fear that their city is still under threat. The situation is worsening as the 2015 national elections approach: over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok are still missing, and speculations about a recent botched deal with Boko Haram mediated by Chad have undermined, once again, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s authority and credibility.