Islamist attack kills 16 students in Nigeria.

[Menelik_I]

KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen attacked church services on a university campus Sunday in northern Nigeria, using small explosives to draw out and gun down panicking worshippers in an assault that killed at least 16 people, officials said.

Source.

The attackers used bombs to funnel the panicked students right into a terrorists wielding automatic weapons .... unarmed students attending a church service

This attack is part of the Islamist Local group, Boka Harram (whose name translated into “Western education is forbidden”), campaign to impose Sharia Law in Nigeria and killed at least 400 this year alone.

According to the Obama administration it is not religiously motivated (even though Christian Churches are targets of predilection), and there is somehow a division between ''moderate'' and ''hardline'' splinter groups, even though no victim seems to enjoy moderate death. (It is always amazing to see the ''good cop/bad cop'' in almost every situation involving terrorists)

I was told by Nigerian friends that this terrorists have links with Muslims politicians and police personnel who agree with the goal, and therefore there is little hope of effective counter-terrorist victory. You can discard this as anecdotal evidence if you want, I don't have a media source and don't care.

[Tiberios]

Despicable and sad. Yet another attack in Nigeria. I fear this escalates further in the future.

[mrmouth]

I fear this escalates further in the future.

Already has. Cue the media coverage sometime in the future where we all slept while Africa became the next battlefield against militant Islam. All the way south to South Africa.

There are now two giant multi-national special ops task forces based in Africa. And they are not confined to Somalia.

[The Gurkhan]

You were right though, that it has a lot to do with Ethnic conflict. Over time, a lot of the violence has been perpetrated by Hausa Muslims against non-Hausa non-Muslims, but there is rarely any conflict between Yoruba Muslims and Yoruba Christians. Yoruba Muslims tend to be hostile toward the Hausa despite sharing the same religion. Most Yoruba, regardless of their religion, participate in traditional Yoruba religious rituals which have been secularized to some extent. The Hausa use this fact to characterize Yoruba Muslims as "pagans".

As good and informative post as any I managed to dig up from an earlier thread about the stuff going down in Nigeria.

Boko Haram are just nuts.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Impose sharia law in Nigeria? Nigeria is a federation: states have the right to use sharia if they wish, and several do.

[Menelik_I]

Impose sharia law in Nigeria? Nigeria is a federation: states have the right to use sharia if they wish, and several do.

They bomb Churches, Newspaper offices and government building maybe they don't give a about the law ?

@BarnabyJones:

Already has. Cue the media coverage sometime in the future where we all slept while Africa became the next battlefield against militant Islam.

There are now two giant multi-national special ops task forces based in Africa. And they are not confined to Somalia.

I don't know about the other countries, but there is no way this cannot escalate in Nigeria, they will probably ask for some anti-terror training from the US.

Al All the way south to South Africa.

I don't think there is enough Muslim population south of Nigeria (West coast) and Tanzania (East coast) to ignite this kind, and I am thankful for that. Al Qaeda and Islamists are not set to conquer the world and Africa, but some countries like Nigeria with big Muslim populations are prime targets.

[removeduser_487563287433]

They bomb Churches, Newspaper offices and government building maybe they don't give a about the law ?

Well only if you're interested in over-simplifying everything: are you?

[Menelik_I]

Well only if you're interested in over-simplifying everything: are you?

You are telling me that their own stated goal is not real ?

[removeduser_487563287433]

You are telling me that their own stated goal is not real ?

Um, no, I was asking if you knew the first thing about Nigeria?

[mrmouth]

Article on Boko Haram:

Boko Haram, in association with AQIM, constitutes a threat not only to Nigeria, but also a wider, transnational, threat. Because Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and most populous state, instability there has significant global implications. In addition, Boko Haram's increasing ability to expand its operations beyond its northeastern Nigeria base poses a potential threat across Africa.

Since late 2010, the organization has been responsible for a brutal campaign of attacks target-ing public officials and institutions and, increasingly, ordinary men, women, and children, wreaking havoc across northern Nigeria. At least 550 people were killed in 115 separate attacks in 2011, a grisly toll that has been accelerating.

[removeduser_487563287433]

In reality, it's a much more complicated ethnic and religious conflict. And yes, of course they are. They're terrorists, not necessarily idiots.

[Burnum]

Boko Haram main victims aren't in fact Christians, but rather Non-Salafist Muslims. Since we all know how much the Western Media thinks a Muslim life is worth, they only make the news when they target non-Muslims.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Boko Haram main victims aren't in fact Christians, but rather Non-Salafist Muslims. Since we all know how much the Western Media thinks a Muslim life is worth, they only make the news when they target non-Muslims.

Well, that's not exactly true. When Christians attacked Muslims in Kano State last year (wiping one village clean off the map if I recall) it did receive widespread coverage. It is true that when Boko Haram attacks Christians it gets more coverage than when they attack Muslims... I think that's fair.

[Condottiere 40K]

I forget, where are the oil fields located?

[Jom]

I forget, where are the oil fields located?

The Niger delta.

[removeduser_487563287433]

I forget, where are the oil fields located?

Riverlands. Christian. There's a great map at the bottom of this article that serves as an infographic for the North-South divide, including a map of oil and gas producing areas.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17015873

The Rivers are not without conflict, although it has calmed since the Government brought in an amnesty for militants.

[Condottiere 40K]

Then I think that the government will have to make a general appeal for unity, because this is a hearts and minds campaign. Undercut any sympathy this movement has among Muslims by fixing whatever perceived discrimination that exists, invite them into the political process and/or isolate Boka Haram, otherwise Nigeria is likely to break up along ethnic and religious lines.

I do know that there is a sense of grievance that the President decided to go for a second term, even if his first one was accidental, and that the security services used unnecessary force in suppressing previous dissent.

[removeduser_487563287433]

There is no unity within Nigeria. There are Christians, Sunnis, Shias, Salafists, Animists. There are 250+ ethnic groups, with the largest not even accounting for a third of the population. Education and wealth is wildly variable between states. Appealing to "unity" would get the Government laughed out of office for their weakness and stupidity.

[Burnum]

There is no unity within Nigeria. There are Christians, Sunnis, Shias, Salafists, Animists. There are 250+ ethnic groups, with the largest not even accounting for a third of the population. Education and wealth is wildly variable between states. Appealing to "unity" would get the Government laughed out of office for their weakness and stupidity.

That's not forgetting that it seems that most of the Nigerian Politicians seem to be focused on looting as much state revenue as possible, before retiring to Paris, or Riyadh for Nigerian Muslims (although Paris is still a popular destination for them as well).

[removeduser_487563287433]

That's not forgetting that it seems that most of the Nigerian Politicians seem to be focused on looting as much state revenue as possible, before retiring to Paris, or Riyadh for Nigerian Muslims (although Paris is still a popular destination for them as well).

Nigerian Ministers get a salary of about $25k. Pretty pathetic, it's no wonder they all leave office richer than they entered, frankly.