Message from Shekau

(22 MARCH 2016) [Trans.: Abdulbasit Kassim] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWzhr7dOyrk After a half-year’s hiatus, Shekau reemerged in a video which was erroneously interpreted by the Nigerian media as a call from him to end the group’s campaign and embrace peace. As the translation below shows, there is nothing in the video that suggests surrender or an end to the violence. Rather, Shekau was simply acknowledging that he received messages from his followers, while extending greetings to them and encouraging them to be steadfast. There are some reasons to doubt the authenticity of this video. First, unlike other videos of Boko Haram (after it became ISWAP), this video was posted on YouTube. Second, the poor quality of this video stands out amidst the upgrade in Boko Haram’s video quality. This video shares more features with Boko Haram videos from the period 2010–14. Third, Shekau also refers to himself as the leader of JASDJ, a title defunct after the group’s amalgamation with the Islamic State, and Shekau’s becoming emir of Islamic State West African Province. Fourth, the soft-spoken style of Shekau’s delivery in this video is quite different from his bombastic and taunting style in past videos. The doubts surrounding the release of this video were laid to rest when the video was countered almost immediately by another video produced by the media department of ISWAP (see text 70)...