America has put a reward of seven million dollars on his head. He is therefore one of the most feared terror leaders in the world: Abubakar Shekau, the head of the Boko Haram terror group in Nigeria. It looks like Shekau would have died in fights, but America doesn’t want to pay: “That’s not how it works guys.”
Shekau is said to have died in an attack by rival jihadists. The local branch of IS, called Iswap (Islamic State in the West African Province), was able to enclose the Boko Haram leader on Wednesday, in the inaccessible Sambisa forest in northeastern Nigeria. Much is still unclear, but Shekau is said to have blown up to avoid falling into the hands of IS. He would be dead or seriously injured.
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Abubakar Shekau has been reported dead more often, but can still be seen in videos of Boko Haram.
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The news that IS was said to be responsible for Shekau’s elimination sparked a corny tweet from the US State Department: “Hey, IS guys. Just to be clear, no – you’re not eligible for the reward. That’s not how it works “, it says.
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US Special Forces and the Nigerian Army have been hunting Shekau for years. It is not the first time in recent years that his death has been reported. The Nigerian army has previously proudly stated that they had caught him, but Shekau kept popping up in videos. Terror watchers are now a lot more certain.
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Overheard communications between Iswap commanders would show that Shekau is dead. But the Nigerian military is reluctant. “It is a rumor that we are investigating. We can only say something about it if it is confirmed,” spokesman Mohammed Yerima told Reuters news agency.
The goal: a caliphate of its own
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Shekau’s death, if confirmed, can be seen as a boost in the fight against terror in Africa. Since 2009, he has been the leader of Boko Haram, which grew into a feared strict Islamic terrorist organization. The goal was a caliphate of its own. Attacks and attacks on villages in eastern Nigeria and surrounding countries have killed at least 40,000 people. Two million people have fled.
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Nigeria’s most senior soldier has also died. He died Friday afternoon in a plane crash near the city of Kaduna. His death and that of the Boko Haram leader seem to have nothing to do with each other.
54-year-old General Ibrahim Attahiru was appointed Chief of the Army Staff four months ago. A total of eleven people were killed in the crash. The dead also included other high-ranking soldiers. The Air Force has started an investigation into the cause.
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The Boko Haram terrorist group was best known for kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls in Chibok in April 2014. Slaves, according to Shekau, that he was going to sell in the market, he said in a video message.
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The world was shocked by the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in April 2014.
© Still from Boko Haram video
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The kidnapping sparked outrage and a worldwide action involving celebrities like Michelle Obama: #bringbackourgirls. Some escaped, but not all girls from that time have been found. And there have been more kidnappings in Nigeria since then.
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The then first lady Michelle Obama is also committed to the return of the kidnapped girls.
© Twitter Michelle Obama
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Boko Haram’s ruthless actions against innocent civilians caused a split within the group five years ago. Many fighters struggled with Shekau’s tactics and got out of Boko Haram. She formed the group Iswap in 2016, and expressed their allegiance to the Islamic State.
Possible re-amalgamation
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Iswap mainly wants to attack the Nigerian army. But in recent years it has also regularly resulted in fierce confrontations with Boko Haram. So now probably the death of Shekau as a result.
If Shekau is out of the way, experts say it could lead to both groups setting aside their grievances and merging again. To a large terrorist group that will continue to use force to control part of Nigeria.
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Also see:
Boko Haram used kidnapped girls served as slaves or suicide bombers. Africa correspondent Saskia Houttuin spoke to one of them, Amina, in 2018.
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