It’s happened again. The Islamist terror group Boko Haram has once again attacked innocent civilians in Nigeria. This time tying up and then slitting the throats of over 100 rice farmers in the northeast state of Borno. A number of women were taken hostage. If Boko Haram’s previous outrages are any guide, these women will be forced to become “brides”, or sold off into slavery.
Odds are you didn’t even see mention of this latest attack in most news coverage. Yes, with the current COVID surge and the aftermath of the recent election, and the upcoming holiday season, our attention may be elsewhere. But the continuing jihadist threat, whether in the form of IS (the Islamic State, or ISIS), or Boko Haram, must not be relegated to the back burner.
In last week’s blog, I voiced my concern that the reduction of US troop levels in Afghanistan, from the current 4500 down to 2500, might weaken our ability to combat terrorism there. Well, the terrorist threat remains in many places across the globe. Nigeria is one of them.
I happen to be cochairman of the Congressional Nigerian Caucus, along with Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. And Nigeria happens to be the most populous nation in Africa, and the seventh most populous nation on earth. It’s an important country, with significant oil reserves, and of course faces a great many challenges.
One of the most significant is the ongoing threat of Islamic jihadist terror – specifically Boko Haram. This terrorist organization has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Nigerians, and was once considered, according to the Global Terrorism Index, “the world’s deadliest terrorist group” (that was of course before ISIS came along.)
The kidnapped girls appear in a Boko Haram propaganda video, released in May 2014.
The one Boko Haram attack which did get a lot of press attention, at least for a while, was the mass kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok. Celebrities, including First Lady Michelle Obama, participated in a campaign holding signs which pleaded “Bring back our girls.” After Boko Haram strung along the families with false hopes of reunifying the girls with their families, some girls escaped, some were sold to Boko Haram fighters, and some were actually finally released.
The world must stand united against Boko Haram’s ongoing affronts to human decency. What can the United States do? We can work with Nigeria, and with the African Union, who’s stated goal is to promote peace, security and stability on the African continent. Boko Haram’s actions are the antithesis of these things. We don’t need to send US troops to directly battle this terrorist organization, but we can help train and reinforce indigenous troops to do so.
The United States and our allies should make destroying Boko Haram a priority. It’s long past due.