Boko Haram demands the establishment of an Islamic state governed only by Sharia law. Accordingly, their attacks have focused on practices (non-Islamic worship as well as the use of alcohol, and playing card games) and institutions (police, military, legislative, and tribal) that get in the way.
The group will see the invitation to talks as a victory, and as a sign of weakness in Abuja and of the success of their campaign of terror, and will press their demands whether through negotiations or continued attacks. While the government has not given any signals on concessions, any that they would make toward Sharia would invite demands for still more: if they have allowed one such demand for the sake of peace, why not another? For obvious reasons, the negotiations will bear watching.
“Nigeria plans talks with Islamist group Boko Haram,” from BBC News, July 30:
Nigeria’s government says it wants to start negotiating with Islamist group Boko Haram, which has been blamed for a series of recent attacks.
The government said a panel would open talks with the group and report back by 16 August.
There was no immediate reaction to the statement from Boko Haram.
The group, whose name roughly translates as “Western education is forbidden”, is fighting to topple the government and create an Islamic state.
It led an uprising across a number of states in northern Nigeria in 2009, during which hundreds were killed.
In recent weeks it has been blamed for a series of bombings and shootings in Nigeria’s north-east.
The government statement said President Goodluck Jonathan had appointed seven people, including the ministers of defence and labour, to a negotiation committee.
It said the panel’s role would be to act “as a liaison between the federal government … and Boko Haram and to initiate negotiations with the sect.”