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According to a new report published in the third edition of the Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram has surpassed ISIS as the world’s deadliest terrorist group. Also known as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, or ISWAP, the terrorist organization caused 6,644 deaths in 2014 while ISIS killed approximately 6,073 people.
A strong presence in Nigeria
Most of the terrorist group’s activity is centered in Nigeria. In 2013, Nigeria was listed fifth in terms of the highest number of deaths. During the last year, Nigeria had a 300% rise in deaths from terror acts and moved to second place in the list – this is the largest increase in terrorism-caused deaths ever recorded worldwide. The rise in fatalities is mostly due to the expansion of Boko Haram. The most recent data published in the third edition of the Global Terrorism Index was produced by the Institute for Economic and Peace, and drawn from data collected by the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), collated by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.
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Expanding into other countries
Boko Haram is based in Nigeria; the militant group has been staging attacks in the country since 2009. Since its inception, the group has killed at least 17,000 people and left another 2.5 million homeless. But it is not stopping there – their goal is to establish an Islamic State, or caliphate, in Africa that follows Sharia law In 2014, they doubled their attacks and moved into Chad and Cameroon. The group carried out 46 attacks and took 520 lives that year. Boko Haram has gotten training from other terrorist outfits and pledged allegiance to ISIS this March. The group’s attacks are mostly armed assaults with machine guns, but they have increased their use of bombs and other explosives.
Their latest suspected attack left 32 dead
In the latest terrorist attack, at least 32 people are dead and another 80 people are injured due to an explosion in the Nigerian city of Yola. The blast occurred at a fruit and vegetable market near a main road. There was a big crowd because the explosion was in an area with a livestock market, an open-air eatery and a mosque. The majority of the victims were street vendors and passers-by. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but officials suspect it to be the work of Boko Haram. The group has carried out attacks on Yola in the past, including suicide bomber attacks.
“The enemies of humanity will never win. Hand in hand, we will rid our land of terrorism,” Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said in a tweet.
SEE ALSO: Samuel Eto’o Teams Up With Oxfam To Help Boko Haram Victims.
