Boko Haram, the Islamic State's West African Franchise

Boko Haram swore fealty to the Islamic State earlier this month. The Nigerian Islamist terrorist organization, infamous for the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls last April, has a long record of violent atrocities. Recently, it has increased attacks on marketplaces and public spaces, indiscriminately murdering moderate Muslims and Christians alike. How will this new affiliation impact the operations and reach of Boko Haram?

To assess the humanitarian situation in Nigeria and the global security implications of an alliance between two of the world's deadliest terror groups, Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom Director Nina Shea hosted a discussion with Bukky Shonibare and Emmanuel Ogebe. Bukky Shonibare is a strategic team member of the #BringBackOurGirls Campaign and the coordinator of Adopt-A-Camp, a program that assists internally displaced persons in Nigeria. She provided her firsthand account of conditions on the ground. Emmanuel Ogebe, a human rights lawyer from Nigeria, evaluated the broad impact of the new alliance between Boko Haram and the Islamic State.