News World Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram?

Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram?

New Delhi: Boko Haram, the group of militant extremists in Nigeria, have grabbed headlines in the past week thanks to their brazen kidnapping of 275 girls, aged between 16 and 18, from a boarding school



Attacks continued to escalate, and by 2013 some analysts began to see greater influence by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in Boko Haram operations.

Amid growing concern about the escalating violence, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in the three northern states where Boko Haram is the strongest - Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

The conflicts have left around 90,000 people displaced. Human Rights Watch states that Boko Haram uses child soldiers, including 12-year-olds.

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