At least 1,500 members and people associated with the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), commonly referred to as Boko Haram, recently surrendered to various Nigerian army barracks in Borno State – and many more are expected to give themselves up, according to the military.

It is not clear how many of the defectors are real fighters or why they surrendered. Most are thought to be villagers, known as awam, whose communities were under siege by the insurgents; abductees; low-risk insurgents; and a few jihadist fighting men, known as rijal.

The Nigerian army attributed the defections to escalated operations by a new military offensive called Operation Hadin Kai. Some thought the death of Abubakar Shekau, the former Boko Haram leader, as well as disagreements between members of the JAS and the Islamic State in West Africa Province had led to the defections.

After 12 years of violent conflict, many residents are happy about the defections. But others are sceptical, saying that it will be hard to live among those who committed the atrocities against them. They believe it could be more of a curse than a blessing.

Our guests are:

• Mala Mustapha, an associate professor in International Politics at the University of Maiduguri and a senior research fellow at the Centre of Democracy and Development; and
• Abba Gana Wakil Mamadou from Niamey in Niger, an expert in international relations and strategic studies.