ABSTRACT
In August 2014, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau announced the creation of an Islamic State, a so-called Caliphate, in areas of Northeastern Nigeria under the control of Boko Haram. Boko Haram's members are predominantly Kanuri, and it is an irredentist movement, which has married its jihad with the pursuit of creating a Caliphate. This Caliphate starts in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria, and follows a trajectory that would eventually cover the areas of the former Kanuri-led Kanem-Borno Empire, which was a powerful historic Islamic entity that included tracts of land in present-day Western Chad, Northwestern Cameroon, and Southeastern Niger. Boko Haram was established in Maiduguri, the capital of the Northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, in 2002 by Muhammad Yusuf. Boko Haram clearly benefits from its ability to navigate the sociocultural and linguistic landscape of Kanuri territories this is, where it has achieved maximum operational capacity.
