The Islamic State on Wednesday announced that Abu Musab al-Barnawi is the new leader of its so-called West Africa province.
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Barnawi was reportedly a journalist who was allied with Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group, and the ISIS statement gave no indication how he arrived at being the group’s leader, beyond an ISIS edict, nor what happened to existing leader Abu Bakar Shekau. The same title was used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
In the message, Shekau said he was alive and had not been replaced as was being speculated among Nigeria’s security agencies.
Mr St-Pierre said the message suggested Shekau was trying to retain his base of support within Boko Haram without compromising the commitment to ISIL.
The Islamic State militant group has named a new leader to its West African affiliate Boko Haram. ISIS objected to these tactics because they targeted Sunni Muslims, the only group of people against whom they do not seek to commit genocide.
The report did not say what Shekau’s current status is.
Boko Haram waged a war against westernisation in Nigeria in 2009 and considers western education sinful and forbidden.
“Speculation of Shekau’s demise could be affecting the operation and loyalty of other Boko Haram cells in the region”. The splinter operates in north-eastern Nigeria and, unlike Boko Haram, does not attack Muslim civilians and does not force women and children to carry out suicide bombing missions.
Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000 people dead, mainly in the Northeast.
Before 2015, a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium was under the control of Boko Haram, but the group was pushed out early a year ago by Nigerian government forces and its allies.
An IS video released in April made the same claim.
In March 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, another deadly terror organisation. So, whether there is change in leadership or not, we are sure of total annihilation of the group.
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“Their latest move is the antics of a fading group and I believe that in the shortest time they will be history”.
