Author: Tim Sample

This recent article in The Guardian via Mark Tran offers a concise summary of the situation with Boko Haram. It’s worth the read, and there are a couple of areas worth amplifying: Organizations like Boko Haram feed off of poverty and unstable or failing states.   They do this because it allows for easier freedom of operations, as they create strains and stresses on the state’s security and stability, then capitalize on that instability for freedom of movement.  They also rely on the poverty of an area in order to recruit new members, principally youth who are disenfranchised and easily radicalized. Clearly, the upcoming elections in Nigeria will create a catalyst for further instability and violence.  And although this article explains the background and sets the stage, a key point is that the dis-functional and immature political process (including the polemics of the various parties), plays into the hands of Boko Haram. This dis-function and the fractious nature of the parties is, in part, a legacy of colonialism whereby the functional relationship of “modern” authority — the governments left in place by the Imperial powers — with traditional authority — chiefs of tribes — have never been fully address or resolved, especially at the grass roots level.  This is something that 72 Africa’s President, Fr. Clement, has studied and worked with, and is a focus of attention in our research and efforts. Military...