bjbjLULU MARGARET WARNER: And for more on the bombings in Nigeria, we turn to Paul Lubeck,
a sociology professor and director of the Center for Global, International and Regional
Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
He was in Northern Nigeria researching Islamist movements this past summer.
And, Professor, thank you for being with us.
PAUL LUBECK, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies: Thank you.
MARGARET WARNER: Tell us about this group Boko Haram.
What is it they're seeking?
PAUL LUBECK: Thank you for inviting me.
Boko Haram is a nickname given to this movement by journalists because the leader, Mohammed
Yusuf, advocates a strict interpretation of Sharia law and rejects anything that contradicts
the Koran.
The movement is made up of a radical splinter group of a larger Salafist movement in northern
Nigeria influenced by Saudi Arabia.
They had a conflict with the police in July 2009, resulting in the extrajudicial murder
of their leaders by the police and the army, a bloodbath.
After that, they have become an insurgency group demanding a return to true Sharia law,
as they envision it, and a demand for release of their prisoners, a demand for the end of
democracy and Westernization in northern Nigeria.
MARGARET WARNER: So, do yesterday's coordinated bombings represent a step-up in their capabilities?
PAUL LUBECK: It is a continuation of a campaign since 2010 marked by very sophisticated prison
release -- prison breaks, robbing banks, attacking the police.
It went in several phases.
Initially, they attacked the politicians who they held responsible for the bloodbath in
2009.
Then they attacked symbolic targets, the national police headquarters and the U.N. headquarters
Aug. 26.
MARGARET WARNER: Are they linked to al-Qaida?
There's been some talk of that, but is there real evidence of that?
PAUL LUBECK: There's no evidence showing operational coordination between the two.
The general that's head of AFRICOM and others state that there is contact.
Every security person I interviewed from the West believes there's contact between an al-Qaida
group called al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM, in Mali and Algeria.
What's important is that they are modeling themselves after al-Qaida.
They're engaging in what can only be called terrorist acts.
And they are attempting to mobilize unemployed youth and impoverished children and school
dropouts who cannot find employment in Nigeria.
It's clear by the ability to elude the national police, the national security and the army
for over two years that they have support locally.
And in order to deal with them, there will have to be an economic and social redevelopment
issue initiative in northern Nigeria, or else we will have the same conflict, and, if it's
not this group, it ll be another.
MARGARET WARNER: So, are you saying that, so far, the government's response has been
ineffective, one?
Are you saying that?
And, two, is it -- are you saying it's been too focused on security measures, rather than
going after -- you know, trying to bring the north up to some financial level more commensurate
with the south?
PAUL LUBECK: Both are true.
The security effort has alienated members of the community.
They have -- there's widespread human rights reports of abuse by the police and the military.
Everyone agrees that the security forces have been ineffective.
The newspapers are full of articles both from Christians and Muslims denouncing and ridiculing
the leadership and capacity of the security forces to actually deal with security.
Secondly, this is the most impoverished region of Nigeria.
It is experiencing a demographic explosion.
Every Muslim woman in this region has 7.4 children, on average.
There's widespread poverty.
The streets of the cities are filled with abandoned children, with unemployed youth
demanding access to the vast petroleum wealth that's in Nigeria and has been taken up by
the political elite.
This is an attack on the political elite.
MARGARET WARNER: Alright, and that brings me to the United States' stake here.
As you pointed out, this is, one, the most populous country in Africa, but, two, has
huge oil reserves.
What's the U.S. interest here?
PAUL LUBECK: The U.S. has an interest in maintaining the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
If these -- if this communal violence continues -- and it's also Christians attacking Muslims
in Jos.
And if this continues, it threatens the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
This is the largest country in Nigeria -- in Africa, as you stated.
And this is a major source of petroleum and natural gas for international markets, especially
for the U.S., because it's outside the Persian Gulf, it's close to American refining, and
it's of a particular quality of oil that many gallons of gasoline could be developed from
every barrel of oil.
MARGARET WARNER: Now, Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, issued a statement late today
saying in fact that the U.S. has been in touch with the Nigerian government about what happened
and is going to assist in trying to track down or bring to justice whoever did yesterday's
attacks.
Is there close security cooperation?
PAUL LUBECK: I ve interviewed leaders in security cooperation.
The U.S. has trained special forces groups there, and the Nigerian army doesn't take
advantage of them, according to my sources.
There's a concern that the Nigerians fear losing control over the territory if American
trainers are given wide powers.
There's a fear that, if American trainers are prominent, it will just stimulate sympathy
for the insurgents.
There must be a reconciliation, there must be resources to bring about some degree of
hope and opportunity for tens of millions of youth.
The population is young and very poor.
MARGARET WARNER: Alright.
Alright, well, Professor Paul Lubeck of U.C.
Santa Cruz, thank you very much.
PAUL LUBECK: Thank you for inviting me.
urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags City urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
country-region urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags place MARGARET WARNER: And for more on the
bombings in Nigeria, we turn to Paul Lubeck, a sociology professor and director of the
Center for Global, International and Regional Studies at the University of California, Santa
Cruz Normal Microsoft Office Word MARGARET WARNER: And for more on the bombings in Nigeria,
we turn to Paul Lubeck, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Global, International
and Regional Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz Title Microsoft Office
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