Tag: Boco Haram
In recent years we have seen many radical organizations become internationalized – factions that once confined their operations to within defined state boundaries have been converted into transnational terrorist corporations. Of course, certainly not all radical organizations make this transition. Some, such as the Taliban, remain «domestic» entities. However, many are «suddenly» able to easily transcend the national boundaries of not only neighboring countries, but whole regions that they are able to overtake. This was the sort of transformation made by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. We are now watching Boko Haram (BH) undergo a similar metamorphosis into a transnational «terrorist corporation»…
On April 1, the election commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – a country with vast mineral wealth and a population of 185 million – announced that a new president had been elected, a professional soldier named General Muhammadu Buhari… Buhari’s foreign policy is notable for its proposal to «establish a special relationship» with the BRICS countries, particularly with Russia. The new president also plans to complete the creation of a free-trade zone – the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – and to introduce a common currency in those nations…
In July 2014 the activities of Boko Harum – a terrorist group operating in Nigeria – intensified activities on a broader scale. Skirmishes with the government troops turned into real battles. Terrorist acts became much more frequent and the fighting has gone beyond the state borders. The Boko Harum terrorist group appears to become an international organization… On July 27 Boko Haram militants attacked the northern Cameroon town of Kolofata and seized several people including the wife of Cameroon's Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali. The official was taken away from the place by his guards. The mayor and his family were taken hostage. The clashes with the Cameroon army lasted for a few days…
Hardline Islamist radicalism, nurtured by Saudi Arabia’s vast oil wealth, is spreading through Africa at a rapid pace. Radical Salafist and Wahhabist groups with names like Boko Haram, Seleka, and Uamsho, unheard of a decade ago, are massacring Christians during church assemblies, razing Christian villages, and assassinating moderate Islamic clerics. Of course, this Saudi-made mayhem is a godsend for the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which can point to the spread of «Al Qaeda»-linked terrorism to Africa as a reason to increase America’s military presence on the continent and add armed muscle behind Uncle Sam’s quest for Africa’s oil, natural gas, and mineral resources…