Boko Haram expansion: an imminent threat

Nigeria (MNN) — An uptick in Boko Haram violence killed more than 50 soldiers and aid workers in recent weeks. They’ve also kidnapped dozens of women and children, Anadolu Agency reports.

Eleven years of terrorist violence in Nigeria, mainly at the hands of Boko Haram, has displaced more than three million people. Now, Boko Haram is expanding its reach.

“Boko Haram would love to have a caliphate. I don’t know that they’ve cobbled together the ‘organizational know-how’ to do it yet, but they’ve effectively begun the process,” David Curry of Open Doors USA says.

“They have always worked as a terrorist group, but now they want to capture territory.”

More about Boko Haram expansion here.

“It’s not a surprise to Open Doors. We’ve been trying to ring this alarm bell for some time now,” Curry says.

“The government of Nigeria and, to some extent, the Western governments, have seen this as a ‘second-tier’ problem, but it’s not. It’s a ‘first tier’ issue.”

Boko Haram’s ruthless pursuit

Boko Haram follows the tenants of radical Islam, putting Christians high on the ‘hit list.’ The insurgency also places Nigeria at #12 of 50 countries on Open Doors’ World Watch List.

(Representative image courtesy of Open Doors USA).

Nigerian believers often seek safety in numbers. Unfortunately, this only makes it easier to find them. Militants identify villages with high Christian populations, then “attack these villages. Read our full coverage of Boko Haram persecution here. After invoking more than a decade of wrath in northeast Nigeria, Boko Haram violence, send tangible help through Open Doors USA. “If these sorts of things stir your heart, I encourage people to adopt a project,” Curry says.

“Open Doors is working with partners in the region, [identifying] families who’ve been cut off from food or medical care amid the coronavirus.”

Header image depicts Boko Haram militants. Photo courtesy Open Doors USA.