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Nigeria: Reports of Boko Haram chief wounded in attack by rival group

Posted On 21 May 2021

By Camille Malplat with Aminu Abubakar in Kano

In the 12 years since Nigeria’s jihadist insurgency erupted in the northeast, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has been reported dead several times, only to reappear. On Wednesday, intelligence sources say, rival Islamic State-allied jihadists launched an attack on Shekau’s faction in their stronghold in the Sambisa forest in Borno state. Shekau was seriously wounded after trying to kill himself to evade capture by the IS jihadists who surrounded him after a series of battles, the sources said.

Nigerian media was filled with speculation that the man who made international headlines for kidnapping nearly 300 schoolgirls in 2014 might finally be dead. But 24 hours after the news broke, the army was still investigating and details about what happened and where Shekau may be remain unclear. Here is what we know.

– Who are the factions?

More than 40,000 people have been killed and over two million displaced from their homes by the conflict in northeast Nigeria since 2009, and fighting has spread to parts of neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Since 2016, two rival factions emerged from the Boko Haram movement after disagreements over Shekau’s indiscriminate attacks on Muslim civilians and use of children and women as suicide bombers.

On one side, Shekau’s Boko Haram faction, known formally as Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad or JAS, was based in the Sambisa forest. It also operates in the far northern border of neighbouring Cameroon as well as frontier areas of Chad and Niger.

The other was Islamic State in West Africa Province or ISWAP with its stronghold in Alagarno forest and areas of Lake Chad, a vast body of water with scattered islands. Both groups target Nigeria’s armed forces and those from states bordering northeast Nigeria. But sporadic clashes have also erupted between the two factions over influence and territory.

According to the local intelligence sources, a new round of infighting erupted in April during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Boko Haram fighters ambushed an ISWAP brigade as they transported weapons to one of their main camps, sources said. Several ISWAP men were killed. In retaliation, ISWAP launched an attack on a Boko Haram camp located on Lake Chad. Both sides suffered losses. But, the sources said, ISWAP took the fight to Boko Haram directly in Sambisa forest located further south.

– What happened in Sambisa?

According to details from two intelligence sources, on Monday a convoy of ISWAP trucks mounted with machine guns entered the Sambisa forest area. One group headed directly to the Boko Haram camp in Sabilul Huda, where Shekau had sought refuge. His faction had recently been weakened by air strikes by the military. ISWAP fighters managed to neutralise his guards and surrounded the house where Shekau had been holed up, the sources said.

What happened next is not fully clear, but Shekau was seriously wounded when he tried to kill himself to avoid being taken alive. Intelligence sources said Shekau shot himself in the chest and was later rescued unconscious by some of his men and taken to an unknown location. “The truth is he may hardly survive his wounds,” one source said.

– Dead or wounded?

If sources are unclear about whether Shekau survived, the jihadist commander has surprised analysts before after multiple reports of his death over the years. The Nigerian army spokesman could not confirm any of the details and said an investigation was still ongoing. Neither ISWAP or Boko Haram have released any communique about the attack on Sambisa or the whereabouts of Shekau.

– What happens next?

Whether he is seriously wounded or dead, the loss of Shekau would be a huge blow to his Boko Haram faction where he was a central figure for years, analysts said. ISWAP had already became the more dominant force in Nigeria’s northeast showing its capacity to carry out complex attacks on the armed forces. Its fighters have recently overrun several army bases. Taking Shekau’s Sambisa forest stronghold would allow ISWAP to consolidate territory it already holds in Alagarno forest and southern Lake Chad, potentially allowing the group to control roads leading to the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

While some pro-Shekau brigades along the Cameroon border and in Niger and Chad may want autonomy, ISWAP may now access a pool of Shekau’s fighters and a partial reunification may be in the works, said Vincent Foucher, a fellow at French National Centre for Science Research. “Surely it is under discussion, all these guys are connected, they know each other and there must be negotiations going on. There are still some unknowns but what is clear is that it is a big win for ISWAP,” he said. “A lot of people are happy to see Shekau dead, but it is not very good news if ISWAP becomes the single jihadist force in the area.”

AFP

Abubakar Shekau

Abu Mohammed Abubakar al-Sheikawi (also known by the alias Darul Akeem wa Zamunda Tawheed, or Darul Tawheed; "the abode of monotheism"; 1965 to 1975[1] – 19 May 2021) was a Kanuri terrorist who was the leader of Boko Haram, a Nigerian Islamist militant group from 2009 to 2021.[2][3] He served as deputy leader to the group's founder, Mohammed Yusuf, until Yusuf's execution in 2009.

Nigerian authorities believed that Shekau was killed in 2009 during clashes between security forces and Boko Haram until July 2010, when Shekau appeared in a video claiming leadership of the group.[3] He had subsequently been regularly reported dead and was thought to use doubles.[4][5][6]

Shekau has been criticized by human rights advocates for terrorism, bombings, forced conversions and kidnapping.

In March 2015 Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, in 2016, ISIS Central tried to replace Shekau with Abu Musab al-Barnawi as leader of the group, causing a split. Shekau's loyalists were called Boko Haram and al-Barnawi's loyalists were known as Islamic State's West Africa Province. Shekau was a Salafi, until 2016, when he ended his relation to ISIL.[7] Relations between Shekau and ISIS declined, and in 2021 ISIS launched a major operation against Shekau and his supporters.

Shekau killed himself on 19 May 2021 by detonating a suicide vest during the battle of Sambisa Forest between Boko Haram and Islamic State's West Africa Province.[8] His death was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and was confirmed by Nigerian officials, ISWAP, and his surviving loyalists.[9][10]

Biography

Early years

Shekau was born in Shekau town, in Tarmuwa local government, Yobe State;[11] his exact date of birth is unknown but is said to be between 1965 and 1975. Shekau was an ethnic Kanuri, and also spoke Hausa, Fulani, Arabic, and English. He was said to have had a photographic memory.[12][13] In 1990 he moved to the Mafoni area in Maiduguri and studied under a traditional cleric before entering the Borno College of Legal and Islamic Studies (now called Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies). Shekau left the college for ideological reasons and without earning a degree.[14] He later met Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Jamaat Ahlus Sunnah li Dawah wal Jihad, and became one of his deputies. Shekau was appointed the leader of the group in July 2009, after the death of Yusuf in the 2009 Boko Haram uprising. Shekau survived being shot in the leg during the 2009 attempt on his life by Nigerian security forces.[3] He was married to one of Muhammad Yusuf's four widows.[15] His nickname was "Darul Tawheed", which translates as "specialist in tawheed", the Islamic concept of oneness of Allah.[15]

Leader of Boko Haram

Shekau's leadership did not go unchallenged. He received a letter from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb giving him advice but he did not heed it.[citation needed] As a result of his erratic leadership, in 2012 a faction of the group broke off to form Jamaat Ansar al-Muslimin fi Bilād as-Sudn (Ansaru). This faction included his military commander Abu Muhammad al-Bauchawi, and religious advisor Sheikh Abu Osama al-Ansari Muhammad Awal al-Gombawi. Despite this, many soldiers and commanders stayed with Shekau, including military commanders Abu Sa'ad al-Bamawi and Muhammad Salafi. With his group mostly intact, Shekau engaged in conflict with Ansaru, killing their leader Abu Osama al-Ansari. As a result of this, and other arrests of Ansaru leaders by the Nigerian government, Ansaru did not pose a further threat to Shekau's leadership of the jihadi movement in Nigeria, and the group became defunct by 2015.

Shekau's fellow jihadist fighters were undisciplined and abused the populations they encountered, resulting in the establishment of civilian militias such as the Civilian Joint Task Force to fight them. Shekau was also thought to have killed his own religious advisors, including Sheikh Abd al-Malek al-Ansari al-Kadunawi and Abu al-Abbas al-Bankiwani.[16]

In June 2012, the United States Department of State designated Shekau as a terrorist and effectively froze his assets in the United States.[17] Since June 2013,[18] the department has had a standing reward of US$7 million for information leading to Shekau's capture through its Rewards for Justice program.[19] In addition, the Nigerian army has offered a ₦50 million reward (approximately US$300,000) for Shekau.[20]

In videos Shekau posted online, he boasted often about his invincibility; mocked various armies; and stated that he "cannot be stopped" and "cannot die except by the will of Allah". He has also boasted of being in possession of armoured tanks and other combat vehicles.[21] His online videos frequently depict anti-American rhetoric, and he has made multiple threats to attack the U.S.[22]

In one prominent incident, he took credit for the kidnapping of over 200 school girls in April 2014.[23] Shekau also announced that the kidnapped girls have been converted to Islam.[24] He has claimed to be waging a jihad against Christianity.[25]

Execution led by Boko Haram.

In a May 2014 video, he asserted that his goal was to create a caliphate.[26][27]

With the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during 2014 and 2015, Shekau faced pressure from his commanders and soldiers to pledge his allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A history of the group says that Shekau "was compelled to give allegiance, and that was through a coming together of the military commanders, and after he became convinced that the matter was about to go out of his hand, and that his throne would be shaken and emptied of him if he did not give allegiance".

After Gwoza massacre took place, he declared Gwoza to be under the control of Boko Haram, saying “Thanks be to Allah who has given us victory in Gwoza and made us part of the Islamic caliphate. Thanks be to Allah. We are in an Islamic caliphate and we have nothing to do with Nigeria.”[28]


Shekau threatened to attack participants in the 2015 Nigerian general election.[29]

In August 2016, ISIL appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the leader of the group in place of Shekau.[30] Shekau refused to recognise Barnawi's authority and split off part of the group under its original name of Jamaat Ahlus Sunnah li Dawah wal Jihad, while Barnawi led the "Islamic State's West Africa Province" (ISWAP).[31] While Shekau led his group, he only had 1,500 soldiers, whereas Barnawi had 3,500.[32] Shekau has been widely denounced as following the ideology of the Khawarij by the Islamic State and West Africa province in Nigeria.

Following the split, many clashes occurred between Shekau and Barnawi's forces over the next years.[33][10] Regardless, Shekau never fully renounced his allegiance to the Islamic State, instead framing the rebel infighting as being solely attributable to his local rivals.[34]

Reports of death

Shekau was reported killed in 2009 but reappeared as the group leader less than a year later.[35] The Nigerian army in mid-August 2013 stated that he was fatally wounded when soldiers raided a base of Boko Haram in Sambisa forest and had died between 25 July and 3 August.[36] However, a video in September 2013 was released in which a man purported to be Shekau claimed he had not been killed.[37] The Nigerian army also stated to have killed him during the 2014 Battle of Kodunga that lasted from 12 to 14 September.[38] The Cameroonian military posted a photo[39] and also claimed that their forces killed Shekau in September 2014.[40][41][42] In response to these reports, security analyst Ryan Cummings commented, "Is this his fourth or fifth death? He dies more often than an iPhone battery."[39] In early October 2014, a video was obtained by AFP news agency that showed Shekau alive, in which he mocked the Nigerian military's allegations that he had been killed.[43][44]

Chadian President Idriss Déby claimed in mid-August 2015 that Shekau had been replaced by Mahamat Daoud without exactly specifying his fate.[45] An audio message attributed to Shekau was released a few days later, in which he purportedly stated that he had neither been killed nor ousted as chief of the group.[46]

Shekau was reported to have been "fatally wounded" during an airstrike in Taye village on 19 August 2016 by Nigerian Air Force which also killed some senior leaders of Boko Haram.[47][48] On 25 September, a video of a man purported to be Shekau was released on YouTube, in which he claimed that he was alive and in good health.[49]

On 27 June 2017, Shekau released a video in which he claimed responsibility for the abduction of Nigerian policewomen and criticized the Nigerian government for claiming that Boko Haram had been defeated.[50] This video would seem to be further evidence of Shekau's continued survival. In February 2020, Shekau released a video threatening the minister of information and digital economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and making reference to what was done to Islamic scholar Ja'afar Mahmud Adam in Maiduguri when he preached against Boko Haram, Bulama Bukarti, explained why Boko Haram leader Shekau threatened the Minister in an interview with the BBC.[51]

Death

Main article: Battle of Sambisa Forest (2021)
Picture of Sambisa Forest.

In May 2021, fighting between ISWAP and Shekau's troops escalated. The former invaded Sambisa Forest, Boko Haram's traditional stronghold, and encircled Shekau on 19 May.[33] ISWAP attempted to convince Shekau to surrender and acknowledge Barnawi's authority, but the Boko Haram leader refused. In the middle of the negotiations, Shekau reportedly used a suicide vest to kill himself as well as a senior ISWAP frontline commander who was talking to him at the time.[52][53] ISWAP was surprised by this "dramatic" action.[52]

In the next weeks, several sources gradually issued confirmations of his death.[52][53][54] ISWAP declared Shekau dead in early June 2021, with al-Barnawi condemning him as "someone who committed unimaginable terrorism".[10] In mid-June 2021, Shekau's loyalists under Bakura Sahalaba confirmed his death, but also declared that they would continue to fight against ISWAP.[9] Initially, the leadership of the Boko Haram remnants remained disputed, as several sub-commanders like Bakura Doro and Bakura Sahalaba took charge. In May 2022, Boko Haram declared an obscure individual called "Abu Umaimata" its new overall leader.[55]

See also

References

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Works cited

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abubakar_Shekau

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