Why Boko Haram remains a threat

Nigerian soldiers have retaken many towns from Boko Haram in a recent offensive  

 

If the recent footage released by the military is anything to go by, Nigerians may have reason for optimism about the government's ongoing battle against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The Nigerian military says the footage shows Boko Haram fighters on trucks and motorcycles fleeing aerial bombardment by the Air Force, in a recent operation in the Sambisa forest - thought to be the militants' last stronghold in Nigeria.
Over the past week alone, the military says hundreds of women and children have been rescued as part of an ongoing offensive against the group.
The latest developments mean that the Nigerian military has not only reclaimed many towns in the north-east previously under Boko Haram control, but are now pushing further to rout them from their final hideouts...

  Fatima, 15, was reunited with her family after her brother read about her rescue online

By starting to provide more documentary evidence to back up its claims of success, the Nigerian military has shown it is willing to get involved in the propaganda war as well.
Before that, the images from Boko Haram, including militants carrying out atrocities and their leader Abubakar Shekau taunting the government, instilled fear and hopelessness in the minds of many.
The last broadcast from Shekau was his pledge of allegiance to Islamic State in an audio clip in March.
But as we have seen from his group in the past, silence does not always imply that they have been significantly weakened.
Attacks credited to Boko Haram continue in both Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Army commanders say they don't often find many bodies of the insurgents after battle, suggesting that the jihadists carry away their dead with them as they retreat
 . The Nigerian army says it has rescued more than 700 people from Boko Haram camps 

It's not clear if any senior Boko Haram figures have been captured during the recent operations, says Ryan Cummings, Chief Africa Analyst for the risk management firm Red24.
"With the leadership of the group still intact, Boko Haram may continue to possess the acumen to replenish, regroup, and rearm both within and outside of Nigeria's borders."
Then there is also the argument that until factors like poverty, unemployment and lack of education can be addressed, local populations will remain vulnerable to extremist ideology.
Apart from the Sambisa forest, a vast area based around a nature reserve of the same name, the group is also known to operate in the Mandara Mountains, which lie on the poorly-manned Cameroon-Nigeria border.
Fighting the group here would require greater cooperation between both countries - something that has been lacking - to combat their common enemy.
Nigeria's President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader, says one of his first moves after assuming office will be to call a meeting of the regional leaders on a more proactive collaboration to end the conflict...