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The Explosion of Terrorism In Nigeria
Other | Friday 6th February 2015 | Matt
The Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram, have stepped up attacks on neighbouring countries in recent days. While in the past the group has limited its activities to within Nigeria, the last two days have seen the militants strike out at Cameroon and Niger for the first time.
On Thursday, 70 people were killed in an attack on Fotokol, a town in Cameroon. Now witnesses are reporting a strike in the town of Bosso, on Nigeria's border with Niger. Official casualties have yet to be counted. Yacouba Soumana Gaoh, the regional governor for Diffa where Bosso is located, has said that he believes no civilians were killed during clashes between the militants and Nigerian troops.
The radical group, whose name means 'Western education is forbidden', were responsible for the massacre of around 2000 people in the week following the widely publicised Charlie Hebdo killings. "The largest and most destructive" assault happened in the Baga area of Nigeria, yet received a tiny fraction of media attention worldwide.
Last year Boko Haram kidnapped 276 female students from the town of Chibok, prompting worldwide outrage but little progress in attempts to free the girls. Nigeria's government is increasingly unable to deal with the extent of its extremism problem, leading the government to crack down on ordinary civilians with more violent means.
