Boko Haram Claims Territory in Northeastern Nigeria

In recent weeks, Islamist militant group Boko Haram has seized control of several villages and towns in northeastern Nigeria along the Cameroonian border. The group's transition from guerrilla-style attacks to a more conventional fight for territory is notable because a similar effort during the first half of 2013 ended poorly for the group after Abuja declared a state of emergency and reinforced the Joint Task Force in Nigeria's northeast. Though Boko Haram is not an existential threat to the Nigerian government, the group's continued success against the country's military could hurt the chances of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his People's Democratic Party at re-election in 2015.