Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and most populous state, faces an unprecedented security crisis since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009. The Islamist militant threat has been interpreted in the context of the broader Islamist ascendancy in the Sahel region but arguably remains primarily domestic in nature.

The Boko Haram insurgency is likely to complicate the conduct of the general elections in February 2015. The polls, which are usually accompanied by political violence and inter-group clashes, represent a critical political juncture for Nigeria in light of increasing northern dissent and political competition between the country’s north and south.

In this seminar Dr. Thomas Hansen, a senior Africa Analyst with London-based global risk management company Control Risk will examine the trajectory of Boko Haram since 2009, including the group’s changing leadership, tactics and capabilities, and the threat that Boko Haram is likely to pose to political stability and international interests in Nigeria in the years to come amidst a weak and inefficient government response.

(Photo credit: Bryn Pinzgauer, Flickr)