When two elephants fight: insurgency, counter-insurgency and environmental sufferings in northeastern Nigeria

Abstract

The consequences of Boko Haram insurgency on the Nigerian state has enjoyed robust interrogation. However, most of the studies have concentrated on human and material losses to the neglect of the environment. Yet, the activities of the insurgents as well as the counterinsurgency strategies of the Nigerian armed forces, have negatively affected the environment. This study interrogates the impacts of the insurgency on the environment, using cases such as soil and water contamination, mining of landscapes, indiscriminate killings, and the destruction of habitats, farmlands and cultural landscapes as empirical evidence. The study concludes that activities of the militants and the military have had debilitating effects on the physical environment in northeastern Nigeria.