Al-Qaeda’s Expansion into Nigeria

Morgan Lorraine Roach / February 03, 2010

Al-Qaeda’s strength in Africa is expanding.  Cells in northern Africa are spreading southwards to Nigeria, eager to recruit impressionable Muslims to join their international terror network.  In the wake of January’s violent clash between Christians and Muslims in the diverse city of Jos, al-Qaeda’s immediate reaction was to equip and train young Muslims for jihad. According to the Washington Post, Abdelmalek Droukdel, leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) announced that al-Qaeda is prepared to provide training, manpower, munitions, and various other resources to push Nigeria’s young men into jihad.

Considering the high levels of poverty and limited governance throughout the country, many Nigerians are left susceptible to extremist activity.  While roughly 40 percent of Nigeria’s 149 million citizens are Christian and 50 percent are Muslim, the two religions are geographically divided with the Muslims residing in the northern part of the country and the Christians in the south. The violence last January killing 326 people has left the Muslim population vulnerable to terrorist recruitment.  Nigeria’s government has done very little to curb this threat.  Its own president Umaru Yar’adua has been out of the country, seeking medical care in Saudi Arabia and unable to run the country. (more…)