Rape as a weapon of war : the motivations of terrorist group Boko Haram for using rape as a strategy in Nigeria, 2009-2018

Abstract

Although the use of rape as a weapon of war has received much scholarly attention since the 1990s, this is not the case for the use of this strategy by Boko Haram. Therefore, this thesis addresses the under researched aspect of Boko Haram’s strategies which especially targets (Christian) women and girls. Specifically, this thesis analyses the main reasons for Boko Haram to use rape as a weapon of war between 2009 and 2018. Additionally, the analysis brought forward here provides evidence for a connection between the use of rape as a weapon of war and the use of abductions as a strategy. This connection can be detected in variety of primary source material, as women are often raped when they are abducted in order to get them pregnant or punish them for not converting to Islam. This connection is often overlooked by the existing literature but is vital for the way Boko Haram operates. This thesis also sheds light on the importance of Nigeria’s political, socio-cultural and socio-economic structure for rise of the movement and the implications of the country’s gender relations on its targeting of women and girls. Overall, this thesis contributes to the rape as a weapon of war-framework, the growing scholarly literature on Boko Haram and to burgeoning work that connects gender relations with the study of International Relations.