The United States has designated Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Ansaru militant groups as foreign terrorist organisations.<\/p>\n
The state department described the move as “an important” step to help Nigeria “root out violent extremism”.<\/p>\n
It means US regulatory agencies are instructed to block business and financial transactions with the groups.<\/p>\n
Boko Haram wants to impose Islamic law in northern Nigeria, and has been blamed for thousands of deaths. Ansaru is seen as an off-shoot of Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009, and targets both the military and civilians, including schools, and frequently clashes with the Nigerian armed forces.<\/p>\n
Ansaru was formed in January 2012, though it rose to prominence only about six months later through the release of a video in which it vowed to attack Westerners in defence of Muslims worldwide.<\/p>\n
The group has proved to be a formidable threat during its short existence, using dynamite to penetrate heavily-fortified compounds and taking foreigners hostage.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the US state department said Wednesday’s “designations are an important and appropriate step”.<\/p>\n
But it stressed that this was “only one tool in what must be a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government to counter these groups”.<\/p>\n
The decision means that it is now a crime under US law to provide material support to the two groups.<\/p>\n
Boko Haram was earlier seen as an organisation which only posed a domestic threat – one reason why the US has not previously designated it as a terrorist organisation, the BBC’s Will Ross in Lagos reports.<\/p>\n
But during the last three years – as its attacks have intensified – there have also been signs of a more international agenda, our correspondent says.<\/p>\n
This included the 2011 raid on the UN building in the capital, Abuja, and also reports that Boko Haram has established links with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al Shabab in Somalia.<\/p>\n
The group has several sources of funding – including bank lootings and ransom payments – which are unlikely to be affected by the US decision, our correspondent adds.<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s government said in June that Boko Haram and Ansaru were terrorist organisations, warning that anyone who helped them would face a minimum prison sentence of 20 years.<\/p>\n
There have been allegations that some Nigerian politicians have supported Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
There is as yet no evidence to suggest the ongoing Nigerian military campaign is succeeding against the group.<\/p>\n
Civilians in the country’s north-east are killed by the group every week, and the army is frequently accused of carrying out human rights atrocities there, our correspondent says<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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