The story of Boko Haram, or Jama'at ahl al-sunna li-da'wa wa-l-qital, as it is also known, is a difficult one to establish.
While Boko Haram is a religious organisation, it is almost impossible to separate the activities of the group with the political, economic and territorial struggles in northern Nigeria which, in spite of a secular consitution, is often divided on religious lines.
Established in 2002 in Maiduguri, Boko Haram spent 2002-2009 consolidating its base, spreading its disdain for Western education and government corruption, culminating in the creation of alternative schools and attacking symbols of state power, most commonly police stations in northern Nigeria.
The group purportedly changed tactics and attacks intensified after its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in police custody in 2009 following a police raid.
This resulted in reprisal attacks on police that spread to four states.
Since 2010 violence has intensified and on May 15, 2013 President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to declare a state of emergency in three of the states affected by Boko Haram.
Motivation
The group believes that strict Islamic law should be imposed in Nigeria. Little is known about its leadership or members.
While Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted Christian institutions such as churches, most people killed in attacks have been Muslims.
Most of the children, women, men, and businesses affected are in the Muslim north, and many analysts say it is not a Christian-Muslim feud.
Some observers say the crisis stems from poverty and disenfranchisement of people in the northern region.They say people there feel abandoned by their leaders.
A large part of Nigeria's federal government budget is spent on security. Some Nigerians believe rogue elements within the security forces are behind some acts of violence, in order to profit from security contracts.
Since 2009, it is believed Boko Haram has merged into several different sub-groups:
War on Western education
The English translation of Boko Haram is “Western education is sin”. Western education is central to the group's beliefs and activities.
Since the group started its offensive, it has followed the doctrine that Western education is haram - prohibited and against the teachings of Islam. Targeting schools has become a Boko Haram trademark.
This has resulted in thousands of parents across the region withdrawing their children from institutions where Western education is taught, fearing attacks.
In this way, Boko Haram has succeeded in creating an environment where children are taken out of class and schools are forced to shut down.
Following the declaration of a state of emergency, the security services set out to disconnect all communication, from mobile phones to satellite phones, making it difficult to contact people to verify what is happening on the ground.
The military have, on a day-to-day basis, put out information to the public giving the impression it is succeeding in the war against Boko Haram. It is difficult to cross-check the military's version of events, however.
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