Nigeria: Explosions raise fears of Boko Haram resurgence

Amid Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, fears have been raised about a resurgence of Boko Haram following three near-simultaneous explosions in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, as reported by RFI and agencies on March 18th.

The explosions rocked the city on March 16th, killing at least 23 people and injuring over 100 more; no explosive devices were found by bomb disposal teams who inspected the area.

By March 17th, the area had been secured, with police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso saying, “The bomb disposal teams have secured the area and the injured. As for the victims, they have been transported to the hospital.”

“At this stage, calm has been restored. Security forces are conducting reinforced patrols in the city of Maiduguri to prevent such incidents from recurring.”

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno State, where groups like Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are particularly active.

The groups are Islamic State-affiliated and envision the formation of an Islamic Caliphate in Africa, which would be governed by Sharia Law.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the March 16th attack, the explosions are reportedly reminiscent of Boko Haram’s modus operandi of coordinated attacks.

Between March 7th and 9th, coordinated attacks by Islamist militants targeted military bases in Borno and Yobe States, along with the broader Lake Chad region.

The growing presence of Islamist militants in Borno State has led inhabitants to seek refuge in neighbouring Cameroon, which has also experienced an increase in jihadist operations.

Furthermore, al-Qaeda-affiliated groups have increased attacks in northern Nigeria, in the border area between Nigeria, Niger and Benin.

In an effort to counter extremism, Nigeria and Benin formalised cross-border security cooperation following a meeting in Cotonou on February 27th.

Also participating in the meeting was France, Benin’s former colonial ruler, increasingly finding itself an ally in West Africa’s fight against terrorism.

However, the West Africa-France alliance has caused controversy in the Sahel; Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have rejected French and Western ties in favour of strategic and security partnerships with Russia.

Despite their rejection of Western-aligned organisations, the three junta-led Sahel states have been encouraged to cooperate with a counterterrorism task force of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), announced on March 4th.

The task force would station 2,000 troops in the countries of ECOWAS members to address “terrorism and insecurity” across West Africa.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org