As Boko Haram has expanded westward, it has moved to a historical ethno-sectarian fault line across which reside other Muslim ethnicities. Predominant among these are the majority Hausa-Fulani, who are descended from the Sokoto Caliphate, a historical rival of the Bornu Empire.
Boko Haram's expansion has come in the form of increasing attacks in Bauchi and Yobe states, which straddle this ethno-sectarian line. As the group's attacks began to kill more Hausa-Fulani, a backlash among western Nigerian Muslims has been mounting, particularly in Kano, Kano state, Nigeria's second largest city and the country's northern commercial hub, which is geographically situated just west of northern Nigeria's ethno-sectarian fault line.
On Jan. 20, Boko Haram struck in Kano with a coordinated series of explosive attacks and armed assaults targeting police facilities, government offices and politicians' homes. The attacks killed more than 185 people, aided the escape of several Boko Haram members in police custody, and plunged the city into chaos for several days.
The increasing backlash against Boko Haram most recently resulted in the formation of a new Islamist militant group calling itself Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan ("Supporters of Muslims in the Lands of Sudan," abbreviated to Ansaru), which announced its formation Feb. 1 with the stated goal of countering Boko Haram.
Ansaru, in announcing its creation, decried Boko Haram's killing of innocent fellow Muslims and pledged to restore the dignity of Islam in Nigeria to the Sokoto Caliphate.
