Impact of Boko Haram activities in the Lake Chad region of Africa
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Abstract
The Boko Haram insurgency has remained the single major security threat to peace, stability and development in the Lake Basin and its fringes. The countries sharing common boundaries along the Lake Chad continue to grapple with security challenges resulting from the insurgency. The immediate effect of the terrorist activities was population displacement. To understand the magnitude of the situation, section one of the paper dwell on how Boko Haram, the prime instigator of the precarious situation being experienced metamorphosed from a fragmented so called religious movement into one of the worst terrorist groups in the history of the Sub-Saharan Africa. The group’s activities were initially localised and isolated, but eventually escalated to regional and international dimension, with tragic consequences. The second part analyses theoretical concepts especially; socio-economic theory of human deprivation, “frustration” and resulting in “aggression”. The section highlights the socio-political theory of state institutional demise compounded by porous borders with large scale ungoverned space in the Sahel region as causative agents and vehicles that created the current security situation. Section three of the paper appraises the role of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the insurgents. The nexus or linkages between National, Regional and International efforts and collaborations galvanised to collectively confront and address the monumental security challenges will also be highlighted. Finally, the presentation discusses the successes so far recorded in restoring peace, security and general wellbeing of the populace in the Lake Chad Basin. Furthermore, the daunting challenges still being faced by the Nigerian State towards consolidating on the successes already made are outlined. Finally, the paper makes projections and recommendations on the way forward to bring to an end the unquantifiable human misery being experienced as a result of the insurgency.