Hello and welcome!
Our topic today is why Abubakar Shekau’s death will not be bring an end to violent attacks
On May 19, it was reported that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly referred to as Boko Haram, had died.
Local media reports, citing intelligence sources, claimed Shekau detonated his suicide vest when rival fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) tried to capture him in his hideout in Sambisa Forest in Borno State.
Sources within the insurgency told HumAngle that Shekau blew himself up, along with those around him, during an hour-long negotiation in which he was asked to voluntarily relinquish power.
This was not the first time Shekau was said to have been killed. He was reportedly killed in 2009 but reappeared less than a year later. There were other reports of his death in 2011 and 2013. In 2014, the Nigerian military issued an official confirmation that Shekau had been killed. Days later, Shekau released a video message disputing the military’s claim.
Our guests are:
- Mala Mustapha, an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at the University of Maiduguri;
- Chrisantus Lapang, a national conflict analyst.
