Nigeria's Conflict

The shocking kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state demonstrates the challenges which the Nigerian government face in their fight against Boko Haram. The terrorist group, whose name means 'Western education is sinful', have been conducting a guerrilla war against the country's military since 2009, and this conflict rages in the impenetrable jungle of one of Africa's most complex states.

Nigeria is perhaps the archetypal colonial invention. A Muslim north and a Christian south were joined into one nation by British authorities in 1914 in a process mirrored across the continent, as different tribes and ethnicities were joined together by people who drew lines on a map from thousands of miles away, often having never visited the land in question. Emerging from British rule in 1960, Nigeria's development has been hampered by coups, rebellions and civil war from the outset, caused partly by the difficult demographics of the country.

 So what is Boko Haram's ideology? Islamic fundamentalists who advocate the implementation of Sharia law across Nigeria. the organisation is estimated to be made up of hundreds of young men who are lured by the prospect of money, glory and power by the barrel of a gun. Boko Haram have been responsible for dozens of hijackings, carbombings and kidnappings since their inception, and the Nigerian military has waged a largely unsuccessful campaign against them. Hampered by poor maps, inadequate training and shoddy weaponry, Nigerian troops often find their biggest enemy to be local government in the north of the country. Provincial politicians are often suspected of being in Boko Haram's thrall, both militarily and financially, evincing Nigeria's reputation as one of the most corrupt nations in the world.

At 174 million strong and with a flourishing diaspora, the Nigerian population should have a bright future, with oil from the Niger Delta playing a large role in recent development. However, it is crucial that the government engage the provincial governors under whose noses Boko Haram act with relative impunity. Otherwise, it will not be too long before there is another Chibok.