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NAT RUSH

In the wake of a declaration of war, we have a look at those who will be affected and Boko Haram themselves

War Declared on Boko Haram

This weekend, our news channels have been clogged up with reports from rain-sodden Serbia and stories about a capsized boat… Meanwhile in Africa; Boko Haram, who in the last five years have been held responsible for over 3,000 deaths have had War declared upon them.

 

On Saturday, the African nations of Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad declared war on Boko Haram at a summit in Paris. So who are Boko Haram? According to BBC News: “Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This ideology makes them a very dangerous catalyst as it enables them to react to many different elements of modern civilisation. Unlike many other radical terrorist groups, Boko Haram see any facet of Western society as a direct contradiction to the teachings of the Koran and thus, punishable by extreme means.

Even by Muslim standards they are ‘far right,’ because they believe that any participation with (Western-style) democracy is against the teachings of The Koran. Even when Nigeria’s President was an elected Muslim, the fact that he had engaged with ‘a Western political system,’ i.e. voting, he was acting against the true teachings of the book. Each act and ideological stance of Boko Haram can be traced to (and in their opinion justified by) one line from the Koran: “Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors.”

 

The relatively recent and well-publicized raid on a Nigerian school is an example of their ethos in action, as they see schools, as we know them, as seeking to corrupt Muslim values. Boko Haram have set-up their own schools, but there is no available knowledge as to what form they take.

The President of Chad – Idriss Déby, said on Saturday that he wanted “Total War” to be meted out to the terrorist group. The fact that war has been declared on this group, whilst seeming like the first positive step to combat this crisis, must worry civilians who reside in and around the affected area. 

 

The region has been beset by raids, suicide bombers and threats of such violence since Boko Haram’s formation in 2002. One BBC article from 2011 reports that around 90,000 people were displaced due to clashes between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces in the city of Damaturu. Since “Total War” has now been declared on the group, the region must surely have to accept further unrest for the foreseeable future. 

 

Unrest due to war is something we are all too familiar with from the comfort of our TV and Laptop screens. Campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq have proved – if nothing else – that war, for whatever purpose, is chiefly destructive. 

 

Nigeria is one of the most unbalanced nations on the planet, the nation’s oil-rich and affluent live in Western-esque luxury, while the country’s poor are, worldwide, some of the most impoverished persons alive. With much of Boko Haram’s attacks taking place here; (based upon the recent wars we have witnessed in the Middle-East) stability and consequent peace leading to a more balanced society is still many years, if not decades away. 

 

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