That is the idea. The jihadists seek to create chaos and terror, and to create a vacuum of stable governance, and then move to fill the void with Sharia, the only "solution" they will accept to the problem of their own deliberate making. "Nigerian Islamists vow 'fiercer' attacks," by Pius Utomi Ekpei for Agence France-Presse, June 14:
A Nigerian Islamist sect that staged a series of deadly attacks mainly in the country's north on Wednesday threatened "fiercer" attacks and said it would not enter into talks with the government.
The Boko Haram group, which had two days ago laid down conditions for any talks with government, also disclosed for the first time that it had links with Islamists in Somalia.
"Dialogue with President (Goodluck) Jonathan has collapsed," because of the statements made by the inspector general of police and governor of northern Borno state, the group said.
It said it was angered by the police chief Hafiz Ringim's declaration that "the days of Boko Haram are numbered".
Fighting back against the jihadists? What unmitigated gall.
"Very soon, we will wage jihad...We want to make it known that our jihadists have arrived in Nigeria from Somalia where they received real training on warfare from our brethren who made that country ungovernable...," said the group in a handwritten statement.
If true, this is yet another case where jihadists from putatively local or regional conflicts have found common cause and started collaborating. The reason this keeps happening is the common goal of jihad in all its forms: the imposition of Islamic law, whether in Nigeria, Somalia, or as far away as Indonesia and Thailand. Or Europe, for that matter.
"This time round, our attacks will be fiercer and wider than they have been," it said, adding it will target all northern states and the country's capital Abuja.
The statement in Hausa, a widely spoken language in the north, was anonymously delivered to journalists in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, where the attacks are concentrated.
The sect admitted links with a foreign Islamist group connected to Al-Qaeda, although security experts had already speculated that it had established ties with Islamists in north Africa.
The statement purportedly emanated from "Jama'atu Ahlis-sunnah lidda'ati wal Jihad", another name the sect calls itself.
Why they fight:
Boko Haram had on Monday issued a statement setting conditions for ceasefire and dialogue with the government, which included the strict application of sharia law in the 12 predominately Muslim states in the north.
Also known as the Nigerian Talibans, the group launched an uprising in 2009 which was put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead.
The sect, which has pushed for the creation of an Islamic state, has been blamed for shootings of police and community leaders, bomb blasts and raids on churches, police stations and a prison.
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It's a tragedy that the 1967 secession of Biafra, in the Southeast of Nigeria, wasn't successful. Like Sudan, Nigeria is culturally divided between a Muslim north and Christian/animist south. Biafra's attempted succession was for reasons not unlike those that led to the breakup of Sudan. According to Wikipedia, "The Eastern region [of Nigeria] was very ill equipped for war, out manned, and out gunned by the military of the remainder of Nigeria. Their advantages included fighting in their homeland, support of most Easterners, determination, and use of limited resources. The British, Soviet Union, and U.S. support (especially militarily) of the Nigerian government played a major role in the outcome of the war. (my italics - Eastview)"
The world is a very different place today from it was in 1967, and there is a much greater appreciation of the role played by Islamic supremacism than there was then. The fault lines of the Cold War have been replaced by the cultural lines separating Islam from the rest of the world. With a different set of international priorities (and especially considering that Biafra has oil), and with a successful precedent in the splitting up of Sudan, perhaps Biafra should give it another try.