Nigeria (Vol 11, 2014)
in Africa Yearbook OnlineSearch for other papers by Heinrich Bergstresser in
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(8,647 words)
Throughout the year, Nigeria had to face up to enormous security and political challenges. Despite the fact that democratic institutions were quite stable, the president and his government dealt with the endless deterioration of the security situation in the North with brinkmanship. Clashes between security forces and factions of the Islamic sect Boko Haram took place almost daily with a high death rate on both sides. Almost unnoticed, Boko Haram had changed its name, and now called itself ‘Jama’at ahl al-sunna li-l-da’wa wa-l-jihad ‘ala minhaj al-salaf’ (Community of the people of the Sunna who fight for the cause of Islam according to the method of Salaf). Several hundred people, including innocent persons and security personnel, as well as alleged members and sympathisers of the sect, died in bomb attacks, suicide bombings, indiscriminate killings, rape and deadly raids on barracks, police stations, mosques, churches, schools, hide-outs, villages, outdoor refreshment stops, markets and prisons. The sheer number of attacks, counter attacks and sectarian clashes makes an accurate account of these events all but impossible. At year’s end, Boko Haram was ranked second of the top ten terrorist groups worldwide. Over 2,000 people had lost their lives, bringing the number to around 12,000 victims (a modest estimate) since the Islamist insurgency started in the aftermath of the killing of the Boko Haram leadership by security forces in 2009. In addition, Nigeria’s human and civil rights record was mixed at best. These developments notwithstanding, Nigeria experienced another year of remarkable economic growth, particularly in the prosperous and booming South. This, together with financial stability, consolidated the Nigerian economy as one of the leading economies in Africa, although the plummeting oil price in the last quarter of the year heralded what would probably be painful structural socioeconomic adjustments. At the end of the year, however, all eyes were on the elections due in early 2015, particularly the battle for the presidency between President Goodluck Jonathan and his challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, a repeat of the last election in 2011.
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Nigeria (Vol 11, 2014)
in Africa Yearbook OnlineSearch for other papers by Heinrich Bergstresser in
Current site
Google Scholar
(8,647 words)