Rapport Année : 2024

Boko Haram: Mapping an Evolving Armed Constellation

Vincent Foucher

Résumé

Even though the armed group generally designated as Boko Haram first came out in the open fifteen years ago with the July 2009 uprising in Maiduguri, it continues to be mysterious. Actual field research on the group remains a rarity, despite that it has been possible for several years to interview former associates in all four Lake Chad countries, as well as civilians who have had a direct experience with Boko Haram. Yet, so little is known about Boko Haram that conspiracy theories still abound. Even the designation of the movement is problematic: Boko Haram is a nickname given by critics to mock the doctrine of Mohamed Yusuf, the group’s founder, and his criticism of Western education. The group was often designated as Yusufiyya before 2009. It adopted the Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād (JASDJ) name after 2009, and then, in 2015, it took the designation of Wilāyat Gharb Ifrīqīyā or the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) when its leader, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISWAP split into two factions in 2016, with Shekau reverting to the JASDJ designation. There have thus been two different Boko Haram factions since 2016 with significantly different modus operandi, a fact that is sometimes not reflected in some of the commentaries until today. This report attempts to “map” Boko Haram in the northeast of Nigeria – distinguishing the two main factions and their respective components, specifying their geographical deployment, describing their organization and governance, and identifying their main leaders. The report is based on interviews with former associates of JASDJ and ISWAP carried out over the last few years. Additional interviews were conducted with two dozen defectors who had very recently come out of either faction (from ten days to a month ago) during fieldwork in Maiduguri (May-June 2024) and over the phone (July 2024). The description of the two factions in the North East of Nigeria represents what was known about them as of early July 2024 on the basis of these interviews. While some leaders may have been replaced or may have died since there is a certain stability to the organizational structure and the territorial presence of the two factions (after a period of flux in 2021-2023 described herein). Even though much remains to be learned about the groups, this mapping will hopefully help start addressing the enduring knowledge gap about the different Boko Haram factions. At the very least, it will provide a source for others to build on and add to as more information becomes available. By contributing to a better understanding of the history, leadership dynamics, and governance of the Boko Haram factions, the mapping may be useful to policy makers and practitioners in the region involved in conflict mitigation and peacemaking efforts to finally break through the cycle of conflict. The first part of the report proposes a brief history of Boko Haram, describing its various transformations and notably its factionalisation, to shed some light on the fundamental dynamics driving its current development. The second part attempts to propose a description of Boko Haram’s two factions, their geography, leadership, and organization.
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Dates et versions

hal-04871200 , version 1 (07-01-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04871200 , version 1

Citer

Vincent Foucher. Boko Haram: Mapping an Evolving Armed Constellation. UNIDIR, (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research),. 2024. ⟨hal-04871200⟩
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