In its short Arabic video released yesterday, 14th of June 2021, the Shekau faction of Boko Haram confirmed the death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau. The speaker, identified as Bakura Sahalaba and flanked by dozens of fighters, prayed for God’s mercy on Shekau and urged his comrades not to be disheartened by what had occurred.
He condemned the ISWAP commander, Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, comparing him and his father with Noah and his disbelieving son and comparing Shekau and Al-Barnawi with Moses and the Pharaoh, respectively. However, he expressed support for ISIS, which, according to ISWAP, ordered Shekau’s killing.
This is another indication that the factional war between Boko Haram and ISWAP will continue and indicates that the report claiming 70% of Boko Haram fighters have pledged allegiance to ISWAP is very likely to be inaccurate. It is still not clear who succeeded Shekau, though it’s likely Bakura Doro.
Boko Haram’s deadly leader, Abubakar Shekau, reportedly killed himself with explosives a few weeks ago after he was captured by ISWAP, a factional group of Boko Haram. ISWAP claimed that ISIS ordered the execution of the Boko Haram leader, Shekau.
Watch the video below;
https://youtu.be/E2eb7qpRp1k
