Nigeria: Finding a Path to Peace - Nigeria's Long, Faltering History of Dialogue With Boko Haram

What the report says

In an analysis published by The New Humanitarian and carried by AllAfrica, the long-running insurgency in northeast Nigeria is framed as an increasingly important test of whether dialogue can work with Boko Haram and its ISWAP splinter group. The piece says the conflict, which began around Maiduguri in 2009, has persisted for 17 years and caused enormous civilian suffering, while successive Nigerian governments have publicly rejected talks with proscribed extremist groups even as quiet contacts have continued behind the scenes.

The article highlights the 2018 death of Mamman Nur, a senior ISWAP figure who was accused by his own side of secret contact with Nigerian intermediaries through a so-called Swiss process. His killing is presented as an example of the deep distrust inside the movement and of the risks faced by anyone seen as open to negotiation. The reporting also describes earlier mediation efforts, including attempts by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a prominent cleric, both of which quickly collapsed.

According to the analysis, recent developments suggest a narrow opening: a reported ceasefire with Boko Haram, or JAS, agreed in June and said to be holding for now. The article argues that any durable settlement would require trust, sincerity, patience and better intelligence, while also acknowledging that ideological differences, legal barriers and internal rivalries make peace talks difficult. The broader context is that Boko Haram evolved from Mohammed Yusuf’s movement into a fractured insurgency, with ISWAP later gaining strength after splitting from Abubakar Shekau’s faction.