How Boko Haram specifically targets displaced people

Understanding how Boko Haram has targeted displaced people might be key to understanding the group’s true threat.

Since 2009, Boko Haram has proven to be a highly adaptable foe, routinely realigning its tactics to suit changing circumstances. In recent years, this has increasingly involved focusing on soft targets, including displaced people (both refugees and internally displaced people). Understanding how Boko Haram has targeted displaced people and what some of its specific objectives might be is key to understanding their true threat.

About the author

Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo is a senior research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. She is a migration expert who has worked for five years as a senior migration consultant, researching and implementing responses in high-flow regions, including Africa, the Middle East and Asia. She has a thorough understanding of migration drivers and migrant behaviour at a time of unprecedented movement, particularly in high-risk and fragile environments.