GIVEN that it has killed 3,600 people over the past four years, Boko Haram gets surprisingly little attention outside its native Nigeria. Though it has an Islamist tinge and has often attacked Christian churches, security analysts are unsure whether it should be described as a terrorist organisation, or even a group at all. Nevertheless, Nigeria’s government is currently pursuing talks with Boko Haram, whatever it is, and holding out the possibility of an amnesty for its members. Boko Haram began life in the early 2000s in northern Nigeria which, unlike the predominantly Christian south of the country, is dominated by Muslims. Its name, which translates as “Western education is sinful”, gives a flavour of its ideology. Few people paid it much attention until 2009 when its leader, a young cleric called Mohammed Yusuf, was killed while in police custody after fighting broke out between his supporters and the Nigerian army. Since then it has targeted policemen and members of the army, as well as bombing churches and a UN building in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

Religion may be Boko Haram’s rallying cry but it would be wrong to consider it a Nigerian imitator of al-Qaeda. The group calls for the implementation of sharia law across Nigeria, a frequent demand of Muslims around the world. But it does not seem to want a universal caliphate, which is one hallmark of Islamist jihadi groups. In fact quite what Boko Haram wants is not clear. Self-appointed spokespeople for the group occasionally make pronouncements on its behalf but may have no authority to do so. All that can be said for sure is that it justifies its attacks against the Nigerian state using the language of religious struggle.

This uncertainty makes Boko Haram difficult to respond to. But the attempts of the Nigerian state to treat it as a security problem, while understandable given the number of killings, have tended to make matters worse. A military raid on the northern town of Baga on April 16th and 17th seems to have left 180 dead and more than 2,000 buildings razed, according to Human Rights Watch, which also points out that the government’s accounts of what happened do not tally with evidence from satellite photographs. Many northern Nigerians are still more afraid of the army than of Boko Haram, despite all its bombs. President Goodluck Jonathan has set up a committee to talk peace with Boko Haram’s leaders. Its first task is to figure out who they are.

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(Photo credit: Human Rights Watch)