Climate change and terrorism: Exploring Boko Haram’s recruitment in Nigeria

Abstract

The typical threats to human security such as terrorism and insurgency as witnessed in Nigeria have attracted global attention. However, the security implications of climate change as they impact terrorism are of increasing relevance to international peace and security. Since the inception of Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2009, more than 40,000 people have been killed by the terrorist group and over two million displaced from their homes. The group has at various points cashed in on the drastic effects of climate change to recruit foot soldiers, male and female alike, and their operations have continued to have devastating impacts on the security of lives and socio-economic development of Nigeria. This study, therefore, examined the impact of climate change on Boko Haram’s recruitment drive in Nigeria. It adopted Delanda’s account of assemblages and social complexity to draw the connections between climate change, terrorism and Boko Haram’s recruitment in Nigeria. The study relied largely on data from secondary sources collected through the documentary method. It examined how climate change-induced environmental stress such as drought, desertification and shrinkage of Lake Chad create conditions that enable the recruitment of terrorists. It argued that climate change has exacerbated the loss or collapse of rural livelihoods in Nigeria’s northeast, heightening affected populations’ vulnerability to recruitment by Boko Haram.