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Nigeria’s Continued Success Against Boko Haram
By Tyler Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria – Late on April 16, 2014 heavily armed Boko Haram Islamists raided a Government Girls Secondary School and abducted nearly 200 girls from their dorms. Around 9 p.m. gunmen overtook soldiers guarding the school in a lengthy gun battle and forced nearly 200 girls onto trucks and vans. As they left the town they set fire to homes and business throughout the town.
These scenes have become frighteningly commonplace in Nigeria. Terrorist organizations like Boko Haram, which roughly translates to western education is forbidden, had become an accepted part of life. This was true, until newly elected president Muhammadu Buhari declared all out war on these types of organizations. At first there was major backlash against president Buhari and his policy of eliminating these groups by December 2015. In fact, attacks by Boko Haram and other groups intensified right after Buhari’s election. Finally it seems the tides are starting to turn against these organizations and Nigeria’s military is racking up some notable accomplishments.
On September 23, the Nigerian military had one of these notable accomplishments. The military conducted raids on two Boko Haram camps and freed 241 women and children being held there. Along with freeing these prisoners they also captured 43 militants. One of these 43 was a notable Boko Haram kingpin named Bulama Modu.
Along with capturing militants, the Nigerian military destroyed the camps and captured weaponry, which ranged from AK-47’s to bows and arrows. One captured militant even gave up the location of a Boko Haram IED factory in the Dara Jamel village in Nigeria. The attitude of surrender seems to be spreading throughout the Boko Haram. Many militants have been caught burying their weapons and fleeing or surrendering to Nigerian troops.
Today a remaining pocket of Boko Haram terrorist attempted to make a last stand against the advancing forces of the Nigerian 120 Task Force Battalion. The Battalion successfully repelled the advance and inflicted heavy casualties on group. After the advance, a minimum of 100 militant bodies were found. The task force also captured a sizeable arms cache, which included 2 Rocket Propelled Grenades and supplies for making more IED’s.
As Boko Haram continues to retreat and lose ground they have been forced underground and out of the country. In the coming months it is likely that the group will turn more and more toward guerilla type tactics. This trend is already beginning to materialize. Last month Boko Haram claimed multiple suicide bombings throughout Nigeria. Unfortunately, this is a price Nigeria and the surrounding area will have to pay as Boko Haram is slowly overwhelmed.
For more information, please see:
All Africa – Nigerian Army Kills Scores of Boko Haram Insurgents in Yobe State – 7 October 2015
Nigerian Army – Press Release – 23 September 2015
CNN – As many as 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram, Nigerian officials say – 16 April 2014
California Governor Signs Right-to-Die Legislation
By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania
SACRAMENTO, CA, United States of America — California Gov. Jerry Brown signed “right-to-die” legislation on Monday that will allow the terminally ill to legally end their lives. California has joined four other states that allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives with a doctor’s supervision.
The California legislation is modeled after the Death with Dignity law passed by Oregon voters in 1994, which made that state the first in the nation to allow some terminally ill patients to choose the time of their own death.
In a rare personal message, Gov. Jerry Brown provided insight into his deliberations before deciding to sign the bill, reflecting on religion and self-determination as he weighed an emotionally fraught choice.
“In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death,” said Gov. Brown. “I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill.” Gov. Brown has previously been treated for prostate cancer and melanoma.
Brown’s signature on the right-to-die legislation Monday capped an intensely personal debate that dominated much of this year’s legislative session and divided lawmakers. Many lawmakers also drew on personal experience to explain their decisions to support or reject legislation making California the fifth state to allow terminally ill patients to use doctor-prescribed drugs to end their lives.
The measure applies only to mentally sound people and not those who are depressed or impaired. The bill includes requirements that patients be physically capable of taking the medication themselves, that two doctors approve it, that the patients submit several written requests and that there be two witnesses, one of whom is not a family member.
Supporters hope that adoption of right-to-die legislation in the nation’s most populous state will spur approval elsewhere, although legislation introduced this year in at least two dozen other states stalled. Opponents said Monday that they were disappointed the governor relied so heavily on his personal experience in his decision and that they were considering options to stop it.
Among those opposed to the law are religious groups and advocates for people with disabilities, who worry it could open the door to all kinds of terrible scenarios, such as premature suicide, coerced early death and overriding God’s will.
At the center of the debate was Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman with brain cancer who drew national attention for her decision to move to Oregon to end her life. Prior to Ms. Maynard taking her own life, she told California lawmakers that the terminally ill should not have to “leave their home and community for peace of mind, to escape suffering and to plan for a gentle death.”
For more information, please see:
ABC News — Gov. Brown Signs California Right-to-Die Measure – 6 October 2015
CNN — California governor signs ‘right to die’ bill – 6 October 2015
BBC News — California enacts right-to-die law for terminally ill – 5 October 2015
WebMD — CA Governor Signs Right-to-Die Bill Into Law – 5 October 2015
VDC: Russian Airstrikes in Syria – Flash Report, October 2015
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SNHR: Syrian Government’s Use of Barrel Bombs in September 2015
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