Alwaght- The popular uprisings of the recent years especially in North Africa, Libya and Nigeria have prepared the ground for flourishing of the terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Africa.

The political, cultural and geographic factors are seen to have a hand in growth and expansion of these terror groups.

Nigeria is one of the most significant countries in Africa. Despite having rich oil reserves and thus huge revenues, as well as other natural resources, the country showed a poor performance in distribution of wealth and growth. The poverty and backwardness are vivid inside the country's Muslim community.

Though Nigeria is a rich country, the economic and administrative corruption are blatant, and so the huge oil incomes are shared between the political elites and officials and governors, rather than being spent on the country's development. The masses, mostly the Muslims which account for half of the Nigerian population, are devoid of the national wealth.

The earlier governments’ corruption, widespread poverty, abuse of power in government institutions, and abuse of popular slogans like democracy and  freedom in Nigeria have been crucial in pushing some of the Islamic groups to take anti-Western moves and return to the early Islamic beliefs. In fact, the strains and discrimination against the Muslims of Nigeria have paved the way for rise of such radical groups as Boko Haram. On the other side, the present day colonization has shaped the Nigerian society into divided Muslim-Christian poles. The Christians despite their being a minority in the Nigerian society are holding both the power and wealth in the country. The central and southern regions of Nigeria, mostly inhabited by the Christians population, are more developed than the Muslim-inhabited regions.

The activities of the terrorist group Boko Haram in the country are seen to be in best interest of the West and actually the West takes advantage of the terror acts in the country.

Although Boko Haram was in the brink of collapse due to continued blows dealt by the Nigerian army, the emergence of the terrorist groups in North Africa following the Arab uprisings after 2011 gave the leaders of the terror group new energy to restore power and re-organize.

In fact, the Arab uprisings have caused a remarkable expansion of the terror groups in North Africa. Seizing control of parts of northern Mali, the terrorists have announced establishment of an Islamic emirate in the country, spurring Boko Haram to take cue and struggle to repeat the same event in its own country Nigeria.

What can be noted about Boko Haram is that this terror organization is in fact a Western-made entity to stop growth of (moderate) Islam in Nigeria— and Africa in general—, all to prevent spread of Islamic awakening in Nigeria, and to create division among the tribes of the country. The West behind its agenda of terror in Nigeria also seeks keeping in place domination of the multinational oil giants on the country's oil reserves and assuring their security in the country.

By Al Waght