Boko Haram by Mike Smith
An insurgency in Nigeria by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has left thousands dead, shaken Africa's biggest nation and worried the world. Yet they remain a mysterious-almost unknowable-organization. Through extensive on-the-ground reporting, Smith takes readers inside the violence and provides the first in-depth account of the conflict. He traces Boko Haram from its beginnings in Nigeria's remote northeast to its transformation into a hydra-headed monster, deploying suicide bombers and abducting schoolgirls. Much of the book is told from the perspective of Nigerians who have found themselves caught between the violence of insurgents, brutal security forces and an inept government. It includes the stories of a police officer left paralyzed, women whose husbands have been murdered and a sword-wielding vigilante using charms to fend off insurgent bullets. Smith questions whether there can be any end to the violence and the ways in which this might be achieved. Interspersed with Nigerian history, this book delves into the roots of the unholy war being waged against the backdrop of an evolving extremist threat worldwide.
'[readers] get a vivid impression of the horrors associated with the group and the campaign against it, thanks to Mr Smith's reporting-the book's main strength..Considering the dearth of information available, this is a commendable first draft of history.' - The Economist; 'The best bits of Inside Nigeria's Unholy War are focused reportage such as the moving tale of Wellington Asiayei, an assistant police superintendent shot in a 2012 attack in the northern city of Kano...Smith's achievement is in diligently marshalling the available information... What shines through is his measured anger, shared by many Nigerians, about a country battered by empire builders, the curse of oil, the military and a devastating 1967-70 civil war.' - Michael Peel, Financial Times; 'Meticulously reported' - Joshua Hammer, New York Review of Books; 'eminently readable...fascinating passages...this book is based on his [the author's] own reporting, lending it genuine authority...he writes with perception, clarity and fair-mindedness.' - David Blair, The Sunday Telegraph
Mike Smith is a foreign correspondent for AFP news agency and was bureau chief in Western Africa from 2010 to 2013, based in Nigeria. He has extensively covered the Boko Haram insurgency.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781784535537 |
| ISBN 10 | 1784535532 |
| Title | Boko Haram |
| Author | Mike Smith |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2016-01-28 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |