Terrorism At The Gulf Of Guinea: A case Study of Boko Haram Terrorism in Northern Nigeria and Northern Cameroon
Author
Tumasang, Justice
Term
4. term
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-10-17
Pages
55
Abstract
This thesis examines the drivers of Boko Haram’s terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea region through a comparative case study of Northern Nigeria and Northern Cameroon. It asks which socio-economic conditions have enabled the group’s emergence and violence in these areas. Drawing on historical developments and recent trends, the study applies Human Development and Frustration–Aggression theories to analyze high unemployment, poverty and inequality, education-related challenges (including low school attendance), and North–South regional disparities. The analysis shows that in Nigeria Boko Haram began in 2002 as a socio-political protest against corruption and poor governance and radicalized after the 2009 crackdown, while in Cameroon its early pattern centered on kidnappings of foreign tourists for ransom. The thesis concludes that socio-economic conditions have contributed to Boko Haram’s traction to some extent in both contexts, but that Nigeria’s long-standing history of violence is also significant, and in Northern Cameroon the terrorism threat largely represents external spillover from Northern Nigeria.
Denne afhandling undersøger drivkræfterne bag Boko Harams terrorisme i Gulf of Guinea-regionen gennem et komparativt casestudie af Nordnigeria og Nordcameroon. Udgangspunktet er spørgsmålet om, hvilke socioøkonomiske forhold der har muliggjort gruppens fremvækst og vold i disse områder. Med afsæt i historiske udviklinger og nyere tendenser anvendes human udviklingsteori og frustration–aggressions-teori til at analysere høj arbejdsløshed, fattigdom og ulighed, uddannelsesmæssige udfordringer (bl.a. lave skolegangsrater) samt nord/syd-regionale skel. Analysen viser, at Boko Haram i Nigeria begyndte i 2002 som en sociopolitisk protest mod korruption og dårlig regeringsførelse og blev radikaliseret efter myndighedernes nedkæmpelse i 2009, mens aktivitetsmønstret i Cameroon i første omgang tog form som kidnapninger af udenlandske turister for løsepenge. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at socioøkonomiske forhold i et vist omfang har bidraget til Boko Harams mobilisering i begge kontekster, men at Nigerias lange voldshistorie er en særskilt faktor, og at truslen i Nordcameroon i høj grad er en ekstern spillover fra Nordnigeria.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]