Publication

If we want to understand the Boko Haram insurgency, what must we do? This report argues that we need to answer three fundamental questions. First, what is the primary driver behind the insurgency -- local grievances or religious radicalization? Second, is Boko Haram mainly a local/national group or a regional/international one? Finally, do the group's leaders act according to a well-planned military strategy or on a more ad hoc basis? The responses to these questions will then dictate their solutions. In all three cases, however, the role of women needs to be defined and applied, and the public sectors in Nigeria and its neighboring countries need to be strengthened.