Topic: Boko Haram

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Briefing Top 3 reasons why Al Qaeda is more dangerous than ever

On the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, defense analysts say that there are plenty of reasons to think that a resurgence of the perniciously resourceful Al Qaeda is not out of the question.

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Yobe school killings: Another Boko Haram slaughter, this time of children (+video)

After self-styled Islamists murder a reported 42 children and teachers at a boarding school in Yobe, Nigeria, a local governor calls off school until September.
Africa Monitor The hidden force behind Islamic militancy in Nigeria? Climate change

Ecological disasters have frequently been the precursors of major social upheavals across Africa, writes analyst Jim Sanders.
US bounties changes strategy on West African jihadis

The US is offering up to $23 million for information leading to the location of Nigeria's Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and Al Qaeda operative Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
London street slayer references British wars, not Nigerian insurgency

Reports say the suspects in yesterday's butchering of a British soldier have Nigerian ancestry. However, they appeared to be driven by UK involvement in other Muslim nations.
Nigerian president declares state of emergency in country's northeast region

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared war on Islamic militants in the northeast portion of the African nation.
Energy Voices Nigeria oil production slides amid unrest

Nigeria relies almost exclusively on its energy sector for export earnings and 75 percent of federal government revenue, Graeber writes, but a long record of corruption, militancy and banditry has clouded Nigeria's oil prospects.
Africa Monitor In fight against insurgents, Nigerian Army cracks down on civilians

Observers say that Nigeria's security forces are rounding up large numbers of young men under dubious claims they are insurgents. Many are never seen again.
Nigerian militant attack highlights Army's weaknesses

The latest attack by the Islamist group Boko Haram left 55 dead Tuesday. Experts say the fighting is unlikely to let up until the Nigerian military agrees to negotiate.
Terrorism & Security Attack in Nigeria underscores strength of Islamist militant group

A deadly and well-coordinated attack by Boko Haram on a military compound and prison in northern Nigeria this week follows 'unprecedented' April attack that killed some 200 people.
Energy Voices Is OPEC coming apart at the seams?

In a lackluster economy, there hasn't been much from OPEC members to suggest there was any sort of revival, Graeber writes. But with seven of the 12 members of the cartel experiencing at least some form of upheaval, the cost of doing business suggests members may need more than a little bit of luck to return to glory.
Can a 4,000-mile wall of trees stop Sahara Desert's drift?

The pan-African Great Green Wall project aims to build a literal wall of trees to stop the Sahara Desert's southward creep. But is the idea too good to be true?
Opinion Motive in Boston bombings: Look to tribal code of honor

The Tsarnaev brothers, suspects in the Boston bombings, are ethnic Chechens, stemming from a tribal society in which a code of honor and revenge plays a major role. As questions turn to motive, this code may be far more relevant than the brothers' views of Islam.
Family of 7 kidnapped in Cameroon, including four children

Family of 7 kidnapped: Cameroon officials say a Nigerian Islamist sect kidnapped the French family of 7 vacationing in the country. Is the kidnapping connected to France's Mali military operations?
Ethiopia airs jihadi film amid sensitive Muslim protest trial

The strategic Horn of Africa country is one-third Muslim and two-thirds Christian; why is its state-TV ginning up religious tension?
Energy Voices Mexican oil, Chinese drilling, Japanese nuclear: Energy trends to watch in 2013

Rogers offers five major energy trends that are likely to take shape and play out in international headlines in 2013.
Opinion Conflict in Mali shows US needs greater engagement in Africa

While I am pleased at reports of US cooperation with France to stop Islamist extremists Mali and run them out of Timbuktu, I remain concerned about the interrelated, widespread threat of terror in the region. America cannot afford to treat it as compartmentalized country-by-country issue.
Boko Haram commander declares Nigeria cease-fire

A leader of the Islamist group Boko Haram announced a cease-fire, raising questions that the group may be split over whether to make peace.
What are Western and African powers up against in Mali, Algeria?

Leaders around the world are vowing to strike back hard at Islamist militancy that is surging across North Africa. Here are some of the challenges they face.
After grenade attacks, Kenya wants Somali refugees in camps

In light of an uptick in violent attacks in Kenya over the past year, often linked to Somalia's Al-Shabab, Kenya recently ordered all refugees living in its urban areas to move to established refugee camps.
Another church bombed, sending tremors along Nigeria's religious dividing line

A suicide bomber rammed an SUV loaded with explosives into a Catholic church holding Mass on Sunday in northern Nigeria, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 100 others.
Child killed in Kenya church attack. Revenge for Kismayo?

A grenade attack on an Anglican Church in Kenya is widely seen as a response to Kenya's troops overrunning Kismayo, the final urban stronghold of the Islamist group Al Shabab.
Suicide car bomber kills 2, injures 45 during Sunday Mass in Nigeria

A Catholic church was the target of a suicide car bomber in northern Nigeria Sunday. The region has been under assault by the radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which has been blamed for the deaths of 680 people this year.
Nigerian government enters talks with Boko Haram

The Islamist militant group has killed thousands in its rebellion against the Nigerian government. Nigerians are hopeful that negotiations will bring a respite from the violence.
Nigeria church Bible study shooting leaves 19 dead

Two gunmen sprayed the windowless sanctuary Monday night with fire from Kalashnikov assault rifles, said Lt. Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi, the head of a local joint army and police unit.
Change Agent A modern, wired university grows in Nigeria

The American University of Nigeria provides a modern education right in the backyard of Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown terrorist group. One clue: The campus claims 55 percent of all the Internet traffic in Nigeria.