A recent publication from the Institute for Security Studies has examined the role that women have played in West Africa’s violent extremist groups. Ranging from their abduction and use as a tool to entice men to join extremist ranks to willing participators in activities from operations and suicide attacks, their

An increase in Boko Haram violence and tactics in Nigeria has been linked to a power grab by hardline members of the groups leadership, who have allegedly killed the group’s de facto leader some weeks ago due to his moderate stances. This faction had allied itself with ISIS and has

Underscoring the ongoing lethality of the group even against traditional military targets, Boko Haram attacked and overran a military base in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 48 Nigerian soldiers. The Nigerian government has repeatedly claimed the “defeat” of the group. The militants suffered unknown losses as they overtook and then

A recent UN report has published sources of funding for the West African terrorist group Boko Haram. The area’s cash economy has allowed the group to finance its operations through extortion, charitable donations, smuggling, remittances, and kidnapping, allowing the group to continue their insurgency in Northern Nigeria and beyond. The

During recent years the phenomenon of Boko Haram has dominated 7 policy debates among academics and policymakers interested in Nigerian and African politics. Yet, many issues about the sect remain unclear and contested. The exact reasons triggering radicalization, the methods of recruitment, the profiles of its members, its affiliation with

Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Al-Shabaab, Hezbollah, the Haqqani network, and the Taliban are all infamous names to the Western world. These organizations, however, are but a handful of the many dozens of organizations with the official US designation of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” Each organization has its country or region of operations and