ISIS Executes 69 Boko Haram Members, Civilians in Nigeria

Sixty-nine civilians and members of Boko Haram–a militant Islamic group active in northeastern Nigeria as well as Mali, Niger, Chad, and northern Cameroon–have been executed by members of the Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP) after five months in captivity in Nigeria's Borno State..What You Need to Know.The prisoners, held for five months in the Marte Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State and charged with various offenses, were executed as the result of recent clashes between ISWAP and Boko Haram that caused large losses amongst ISWAP ranks, according to Zagazola Makama security analysts..The exact date the executions took place in unclear, although it is likely they took place over the weekend..Boko Haram was founded by the late Mohammed Yusuf, a Salafi scholar, in 2002, and was later reformed under the leadership of Abu-Bakr Sheku in 2009–leading to the creation of Jama'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihad (JAS), a group synonymous with Boko Haram..Between 2011 and 2012, JAS infighting led to the creation of Jama'at Ansari Al-Muslimin fi Bilad Al-Sudan, or Ansaru Islam–another militant Islamic group affiliated with al-Qaeda..This split, coupled with the lack of operational support from al-Qaeda prompted Shekau to turn to the Islamic State (ISIS)..In March 2015, Shekau pledged his and his group's allegiance to ISIS, with the then-overall caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi naming Shekau as the leader of the Islamic State in West Africa..A series of complaints to al-Baghdadi from Shekau's subordinates concerning his use of child and female suicide bombers, his neglect of the group's Shura Council (advisory council), and his stance on 'Takfir' or ex-communication of those who refused to live under JAS rulings, led to the IS caliph to declare another man–Abu-Musab Al-Barnawi–as ISWAP's new leader in 2016..This split is the foundation of the current rivalry between ISWAP and Boko Haram today, with both groups conducting attacks on each other and resulting in revenge executions such as this one..So, What Now?.According to local news site NairaLand, ISWAP currently holds "hundreds of captives, both fighters and civilians" at several detention centers in Borno State..With both groups waging an intense guerrilla war against the Nigerian authorities as well as against each other, civilians face compounding threats such as kidnapping, rape, torture, and forced conversion..A resurgence of violence between farming and herding communities in 2011 led to the creation of 'bandit' groups, which also lay siege on villages, oftentimes kidnapping civilians for ransom..According to the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, over 35,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks between 2009 and 2020..Moreover, the sheer size of the situation in the country has stretched the capacity of Nigeria's armed forces thin, with suicide bombings and kidnappings still occurring on a regular basis.