Western Intervention and the Rise of Boko Haram

At a point in Boko Harams terror campaigns, they controlled large villages in three states of Northern Nigeria which they declared Caliphates. The high level of resources at their disposal including sophisticated weaponry ensured that the Army and other security agencies were overmatched. But how did such a relatively harmless group rise to Jihadist prominence so quickly?

The Libyan war provided an avenue for Training, recruitment and a massive influx of weapons through the Saharan desert into Northern Nigeria. Similar to the Janjaweed of Sudan, Mercenary fighters have been used in unleashing terror in Nigeria by Boko Haram.

This however is a result of the deliberate ousting of Gaddafi which led to a a weakening of the borders and porous arms flow round the Sahara linked countries. A lack of An intervention that probably should never have occurred has ensured that the illegal Arms trafficking into the Country has proceeded to reach heightened levels.

Stopping the crisis in Libya and stopping Boko Haram are not mutually exclusive. In other to successfully reduce terrorism in the Saharan region the porosity of her borders must be stopped, which would have not been an issue but for the forced interventions orchestra led by global powers in the first place.