Analysts said the move was largely symbolic, as the financial assets and movements of Boko Haram militants are difficult to track. What are the broader risks to the region? Boko Haram has fueled instability across the Lake Chad Basin. It has displaced millions and put them at risk of starvation, jeopardized education and health services, stalled humanitarian aid efforts, and undercut government authority in Nigeria and abroad. Boko Haram represents an ugly paradox: its ideas have limited appeal but significant staying power. Alexander Thurston, Boko Haram: The History of an African Jihadist Movement Moreover, the insurgency has scared off international investors, particularly in Nigeria, where it adds to a list of threats that includes other militant groups, which target oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta, and sectarian conflict in the country’s Middle Belt. Foreign direct investment inflows to the country have plummeted since 2011, falling from a high of almost $9 billion to $3.5 billion in 2017. Recent attacks and abductions signal that, despite being pushed into remote areas, Boko Haram will likely continue to disrupt the region’s development for some time. “Boko Haram represents an ugly paradox: its ideas have limited appeal but significant staying power. The group can be crushed militarily, yet state violence fuels its narrative of victimhood,” writes Thurston.
Boko Haram has fueled instability across the Lake Chad Basin. It has displaced millions and put them at risk of starvation, jeopardized education and health services, stalled humanitarian aid efforts, and undercut government authority in Nigeria and abroad. Boko Haram represents an ugly paradox: its ideas have limited appeal but significant staying power Moreover, the insurgency has scared off international investors, particularly in Nigeria, where it adds to a list of threats that includes other militant groups, which target oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta, and sectarian conflict in the country’s Middle Belt Foreign direct investment inflows to the country have plummeted since 2011, falling from a high of almost $9 billion to $3.5 billion in 2017. Boko Haram will likely continue to disrupt the region’s development for some time. “Boko Haram represents an ugly paradox: its ideas have limited appeal but significant staying power. The group can be crushed militarily, yet state violence fuels its narrative of victimhood,” writes Thurston.