Boko Haram: Insurgency and the War against Terrorism in the Lake Chad Region

The Boko Haram insurgency has emerged as one of the greatest threats to human security in Africa, and the Lake Chad region in particular. This is a region with a total area of 427,500 km2, which covers/ Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The movement known as Boko Haram (Western education is forbidden) originated in Nigeria in 2002. The official name of the movement is Jama’atu Ahlis Suna Lidda’awati Wal Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad). The group was formed on the charismatic preaching of Yusuf Muhammad, which attracted hundreds of thousands of followers across northern Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. The group’s campaign is informed by Islamic revivalism, widespread poverty, political corruption, repression and a weak justice system in the region.