Questions over Boko Haram attacks despite military claims of success

Kano - Nigeria repeatedly claims to have severely weakened
Boko Haram and is eyeing an end to the conflict by year-end,
yet the Islamists still show a capacity to launch deadly
attacks.
Most of the nearly 1,500 people killed in Nigeria since
President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in May have
died in suicide and bomb attacks on northeastern towns and
cities.
Simultaneously, remote areas of Cameroon, Chad and Niger
have been targeted, underlining the Islamic State affiliate's
threat to regional security.
Also read: UN requires $200 million to address Boko Haram
crisis
Eighteen people were killed and 100 homes torched in a dead-
of-night attack in southeastern Niger on Thursday.
But Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was formed in 2002, has
borne the brunt of the carnage despite heavy security and the
presence since May of Nigeria's military high command.
Last Sunday, eight people were killed when a female suicide
bomber detonated her explosives among women and children
arriving in the city.
And the Borno state capital was hit six times in October, killing
at least 54, while on September 20, at least 117 were killed,
prompting calls for better intelligence and security on the
ground.
- Kinship and corruption -
Boko Haram's fight for a hardline Islamic state in northeast
Nigeria has left at least 17,000 dead and made some 2.6
million homeless since 2009.
For Dauda Mande, a local chief from the northeast, kinship
bonds in the Kanuri ethnic group which forms the bulk of Boko
Haram's membership has played its part in prolonging the
conflict.
Most towns and villages along the borders of Nigeria, Niger,
Cameroon and to some extent Chad are populated by Kanuris,
providing at least a cultural and linguistic link with the rebels.
"It provides Boko Haram with some protection because of the
ethnic sentiment that plays out with the Kanuri population not
willing to expose their kindred who move across the borders
with ease," he told AFP.
Suicide bombers have sneaked into Maiduguri from nearby
villages where they are provided sanctuary, according to
Babakura Kolo, a member of the civilian vigilantes assisting
the military.
"The attackers usually enter the city on foot, evading military
checkpoints with the assistance of their accomplices who live
not far from the city," he added.
Claims that Boko Haram is effectively "sponsored" by some
powerful individuals in the northeast have been made
periodically throughout the conflict.
The Nigerian army in September accused "some prominent
individuals and political groups" from Borno and the northeast
of working to sabotage the counter-insurgency for "personal
interests".
No names were mentioned or details given about how the
alleged sabotage was carried out and for what purpose but as
attacks continue, such talk looks unlikely to stop.
Corruption has long been suspected as having hampered the
fight against Boko Haram, particularly in 2014, when the group
seized swathes of territory and the military appeared
powerless to act.
Last week, Buhari said troops were denied weapons to fight
and thousands of lives were lost because of rampant fraud in
the procurement process.
As well as allegedly "fictitious and phantom contracts" for
fighter jets, helicopters, arms and ammunition that never
materialised, there have also been claims of complicity.
Abudullahi Wase, a security analyst who tracks the conflict,
said it was "obvious" some elements in the military had been or
were still in cahoots with Boko Haram for financial gain.
Weapons and manpower
Nigeria has in recent months claimed to have destroyed Boko
Haram camps in the northeast, seizing ammunition and
weapons, as well as uncovering so-called "bomb factories".
Access to weaponry, however, is clearly still an issue, making
it a priority for better surveillance with the militants still able to
get arms as well as replenish fallen front-line fighters.
Nigeria's porous borders have long contributed to the supply
of arms via lawless Libya and the established smuggling
routes through the sparsely populated Sahel region.
The group has previously seized weapons, including assault
rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and even tanks and armoured
personnel carriers from the Nigerian military during raids.
On personnel, Boko Haram has previously used forced
conscription of men and boys but has also forged alliances
with Buduma and Kalumba ethnic groups in Chad, said Khalifa
Dika.
"Boko Haram has an army of willing mercenaries from Chad
who cross the porous border to join its ranks for the booty they
get from raids on villages," said the former Maiduguri
university lecturer.
"So, Boko Haram can easily replenish its ranks when depleted
by the military attacks."
- AFP