Need to Alter US Involvement in Nigeria in Regard to the Boko Haram

Urgent: need to alter US Involvement in Nigeria in regard to the Boko Haram terrorist organization

Carl Pfeifer

Background Problem:

· Boko Haram is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria

· Founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf and has been led since 2009 by Abubaker Shekau

· Boko Harams objective is to establish Islamic rule in Nigeria through imposition of Sharia Law

· One of Boko Harams goals is to “purify” Islam in Northern Nigeria and overthrow Nigerian government through use of jihad

· Increasing radicalization of the group forced Nigerian forces to conduct a suppression operation in 2009 which resulted in the death of Harams leader, Yusuf

· After groups death group broke up into splinter factions

· Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau pledged loyalty to Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS)

· Since insurgency of 2009, Boko Haram is responsible for;

-the killing of tens of thousands of people

-displacing 2.3 million from their homes

-contributing to regional food crisis and famines

-causing a protracted humanitarian crisis

Suicide bombings of police stations

Mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014

· Corruption in security services have hampered efforts to counter the terrorist attacks of the Haram group

· In September of 2015 Director of Information at Defense Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps were destroyed but attacks from the groups continue

· Group was still responsible for 136 out of 978 terrorist attacks in whole of West Africa in 2016

· Attacks from group have escalated and still pose a major threat to the U. S’s interest in the country

· US largest foreign investor in Nigeria

· Us and Nigeria have a bilateral trade and investment framework agreement. In 2017 tow way trade goods between the two totaled over $9 billion

· Nigeria is among largest oil suppliers to US

· The Haram group continues to destabilize Nigeria which in turn could lead to the destabilizing of entire West Africa

· Destabilization can potentially provide a base for jihadist groups hostile to US interests

· In August 2020, the U.N. Secretary-General’s report on global Islamic State operations noted that IS-WA “remains a major focus of ISIL global propaganda” and described it as “one of the largest and most conspicuous of ISIL’s remote ‘province

Current US Policy:

· The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated over $450 million in FY2020 bilateral foreign assistance for Nigeria, supporting programs focused on health, good governance, agricultural development, and law enforcement and justice sector strengthening

· Established African Command (AFRICOM) to expand troops in Africa from 2000 to 7200 by end of 2017

· U.S currently has 1400 troops deployed in West Africa to combat the Boko Haram terrorist group

· African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) allow Nigeria to be fully eligible for trade benefits with the U.S, incentivizing them to continue to do so

· Nigeria a current partner of USAAID’s Power Africa initiative

· U.S-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) addresses mutual concerns between the U.S and Nigeria such as concerns with humans’ rights and governance

US Policy Needs to Be Changed:

· Investigation into Boo Harams designation needs to be expedited

· Increase AFRICOM to allow more U.S troops into the country

· Refocus USAID’S Power African from the country of Nigeria as a whole to more of the Northern region

· Increase U.S in US-Nigerian Binational Commission to be more proactive concerns for the country

· Sanctioning of countries that are of suspected of aiding Boko Haram

(NEED TO ADD TO THIS JUST UNSRE OF WHAT TO ADD, SEEMS AS IF ALL THE RIGHT POLICIES ARE IN PLACE US JUST NEEDS TO INCREASE THE POLICIES EFFORTS)

Sources:

Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/01/gruesome-boko-haram-killings-northeast-nigeria#

Bureau of African Affairs https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-nigeria/

Congressional Research Service https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33964.pdf

Council on Foreign Relations https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2014/11/Nigeria_CSR70.pdf

Boko Haram Congressional Research https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-112HPRT71725/pdf/CPRT-112HPRT71725.pdf

Canadian Social Science http://flr-journal.org/index.php/css/article/viewFile/j.css.1923669720130903.2916/4264

Spectre of Terrorism and Nigerian Development https://www.umes.edu/uploadedFiles/_WEBSITES/AJCJS/Content/VOL9.%20IMHONOPI%20%20FINAL.pdf

Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2021/02/18/rising-insecurity-in-northwest-nigeria-terrorism-thinly-disguised-as-banditry/

Terrorism and Insecurity in Nigeria https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081678.pdf

Boko Haram: The Islamist Insurgency in West Africa https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-114hhrg98829/html/CHRG-114hhrg98829.htm