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Africa Subsaharan
Uncovered ammunition cache in Borno poses larger question -- How does Boko Haram get its funds?
2016-04-19
[VENTURESAFRICA] The latest discovery made by the Nigerian army in a village in Borno state is a grave containing ammunition that is reportedly worth over N20 million. During a press briefing, Major General Leo Irabor noted that this "monumental recovery" was in conjunction with the Civilian Joint Task Force, who led them to the grave following a tip-off.

During the operation, the Nigerian army claims that they were able to recover "36 boxes of .50MM, a 5/20 lethal brief case, a mixture of 7.62 mm NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
and 7.62mm special, a 1/81 NATO tube, five AK-47 rifles, grenades, mortar bombs, a generator, Hilux van and several cycle of violences." According to Irabor, the arms and ammunition discovered by the army were enough to destroy a trained battalion. In addition to the missiles recovered, the army reportedly bumped off a few Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
gunnies as well.

Irabor stated that this discovery has confirmed the military’s earlier knowledge that Boko Haram operates several underground logistic bases in Borno state and its environs. This lends credence to the statement in Premium Times by Sani Usman (the Acting Director, Army Public relations), who said that the Nigerian army recently uncovered Boko Haram’s food storage. "To save for the rainy day, the gunnies had underground food storage facilities where they stocked large quantity of foodstuffs," Sani said in his statement.

With the recent discoveries, it is quite obvious that Boko Haram couldn’t have been able to get funds for food or sophisticated arms and ammunition without some external support or funding from an organization or country with an interest in their nefarious activities.

In 2014, Terrence McCoy, a writer at the Independent, explored how the Boko Haram terrorist group gets their capital. In his article, he noted that although analysts say the funding process for Boko Haram is "intricate and opaque," based on a survey of academic, governmental and journalistic accounts, Boko Haram funds are largely linked to "black market dealings, local and international benefactors, the al-Qaeda and other well-funded groups in the Middle East." Although there are speculations that some wealthy Islamic Lions of Islam may be involved in providing funds, weaponry and information to the gunnies group, it has not yet been confirmed.

Therefore, McCoy’s observation may explain why Boko Haram, which has pledged its allegiance to ISIS (the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria) is in possession of modern and largely uncommon weaponry that can wipe out their opponents.
Posted by:Fred

#5  Chad (more specifically its ruling party) may have been an original sponsor - that changed when Boko Haram decided to attack that nation.
Posted by: Pappy   2016-04-19 12:32  

#4  "Might be down to 26 pages now. We seem to have, uh, misplaced one or two."
Posted by: Mullah Richard   2016-04-19 09:54  

#3  Saudis? Just a guess!
Posted by Raj


An answer condensed from a lengthy 28 page report ?
Posted by: Besoeker   2016-04-19 08:41  

#2  "36 boxes of .50MM, a 5/20 lethal brief case, a mixture of 7.62 mm NATO and 7.62mm special, a 1/81 NATO tube, five AK-47 rifles, grenades, mortar bombs, a generator, Hilux van and several cycle of violences."

Mmmm...from a warehouse in Libya?
Posted by: Skidmark   2016-04-19 01:06  

#1  Saudis? Just a guess!
Posted by: Raj   2016-04-19 00:30  

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