Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses (African Arguments)

For Over A Decade, Boko Haram Has Waged A Campaign Of Terror Across North-eastern Nigeria. In 2014, The Kidnapping Of 276 Girls In Chibok Shocked The World, Giving Rise To The #bringbackourgirls Movement. Yet Boko Haram's Campaign Of Violence Against Women And Girls Goes Far Beyond The Chibok Abductions. From Its Inception, The Group Has Systematically Exploited Women To Advance Its Aims. Perhaps More Disturbing Still, Some Nigerian Women Have Chosen To Become Active Supporters Of The Group, Even Sacrificing Their Lives As Suicide Bombers. These Events Cannot Be Understood Without First Acknowledging The Long-running Marginalisation Of Women In Nigerian Society. Having Conducted Extensive Fieldwork Throughout The Region, Hilary Matfess Provides A Vivid And Thought-provoking Account Of Boko Haram's Impact On The Lives Of Nigerian Women, As Well As The Wider Social And Political Context That Fuels The Group's Violence.--back Cover. Glossary And List Of Acronyms -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Understanding Boko Haram -- 2. Precursors To The Insurgency And The Sharia Debates -- 3. Being A Girl In Nigeria And The Gender Politics Of Boko Haram -- 4. Girls As Symbols : The Chibok Abductions And The Silent Majority -- 5. Women At War : Wives And Weapons In The Insurgency -- 6. Rescued To What? : Displacement, Vulnerability, And The Dark Side Of 'heroism' -- 7. The Way Forward -- 8. Lessons Learned : Applying Best Practice To Boko Haram -- Conclusion. Nigeria At A Crossroads -- Notes -- References -- Index. Hilary Matfess. In Association With International African Institute, Royal African Society, World Peace Foundation. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 227-262) And Index. For well over a decade, Boko Haram has waged a campaign of terror across northeastern Nigeria. In 2014, the group shocked the world when it abducted 276 girls en masse from a school in rural Chibok, and the resulting #BringBackOurGirls movement attracted support and solidarity from around the globe. Yet as Hilary Matfess shows, Boko Haram's campaign of violence against women and girls goes far beyond the Chibok abductions. From its very inception, argues Matfess, Boko Haram has systematically exploited women to advance its aims, committing acts of sexual violence under the guise of religiously sanctioned marriage. Perhaps more disturbing still, many Nigerian women have chosen to become active supporters of the group, willing even to sacrifice their lives as suicide bombers. Having conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the region, Matfess provides a vivid and thought-provoking account of Boko Haram's impact on the lives of Nigerian women, as well as exploring how both the Nigerian government and Western leaders have failed to prevent the group's violent misogyny. (Source : présentation de l'éditeur) A powerful and revealing account of one of the most notorious rebel groups in the world and the impact it has had on the women of Nigeria. For over a decade, Boko Haram has waged a campaign of terror across northeastern Nigeria. In 2014, the kidnapping of 276 girls in Chibok shocked the world, giving rise to the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Yet Boko Haram's campaign of violence against women and girls goes far beyond the Chibok abductions. From its inception, the group has systematically exploited women to advance its aims. Perhaps more disturbing still, some Nigerian women have chosen to become active supporters of the group, even sacrificing their lives as suicide bombers. These events cannot be understood without first acknowledging the long-running marginalisation of women in Nigerian society. Having conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the region, Hilary Matfess provides a vivid and thought-provoking account of Boko Haram's impact on the lives of Nigerian women, as well as the wider social and political context that fuels the group's violence