Formed as a vigilante outfit, the group evolved into a jihadist movement enforcing strict rule across hundreds of villages in the area. Nigeria declared the group a terrorist organisation early this year.
“It’s very likely this is the group Trump referred to when mentioning US military strikes in Nigeria,” said Confidence MacHarry, senior analyst at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence. “They’ve also been linked to widespread cattle theft, with most of the stolen animals ending up in markets along the Nigeria-Niger border.”
Cameron Hudson, a former US official who worked on Africa-related issues, said the strike was unlikely to have a big impact in the near term.
“It’s not realistic to think that a few cruise missiles are going to change much in the short term,” Hudson said. “The Trump administration will have to demonstrate its own long-term commitment to ending this militancy if it hopes to have any effect.”
TRUMP THREATENS ACTION TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS
Nigeria’s population of over 230 million people is roughly evenly divided among Christians, who predominate in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north.
Last month, Trump threatened to order his forces to take military action in Nigeria unless the authorities there acted to stop what he described as the persecution of Christians.
While Nigeria has had persistent security challenges, including violence and kidnappings by Islamist insurgents in the north, it strongly denies that Christians are subjected to systematic persecution.