Boko Haram has split into two groups
US General says Boko Haram has split into two groups

Lt. General Thomas Waldhauser of the U.S. Marine Corps who has been nominated by President Barack Obama to head the U.S. Africa Command has disclosed that Boko Haram has effectively split into two. He said: “Several months ago, about half of Boko Haram broke off to a separate group because they were not happy with the amount of buy-in, if you will, from Boko Haram into the ISIL brand.”

Waldhauser revealed the reason for the split to be the refusal by Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau to follow the directives and instructions of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) to which he and his jihadist group had pledged allegiance.

One of the instructions given to Boko Haram by ISIL, according to the general, was that it stopped using children as suicide bombers. He claimed: “He’s been told by ISIL to stop doing that but he has not done so, and that’s one of the reasons why this splinter group has broken off. But, the Islamic State was trying to reconcile those two groups.”

The two factions of Boko Haram consist of those who are unquestionably loyal to Shekau and those who think the group should truly follow the methods of ISIL and be loyal to it.

Gen. Thomas Waldhauser
Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser

As to the actual influence ISIL has on Boko Haram, Gen. Waldhauser said he believed Boko Haram’s claimed allegiance to ISIL was more of an image-boosting gimmick. “They (ISIL) have not given them a lot of financial assistance. So the point could be that it is perhaps in improvement in tradecraft, in training and the like.”

However, he expressed worry about the group which broke-off from Boko Haram. “What concerns me,” he said, “is the break-off of Boko Haram, which wants to be ISIL-like, and consequently buy into the ISIL-brand of attacking Western interests.”

General Thomas Waldhauser made the disclosures about Boko Haram while attending his nomination hearing at the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate. If confirmed by the Senate, he will be made a four-star general to succeed Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez as head of Africom.

Africom which was established in 2007 is the youngest combatant command of the United States. It has its headquarters at the Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany.