The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing issues of sectarian conflict between Nigeria's Muslim Sunni and Shia population. The fight between the Christian and Muslim farmers and herders fight soon escalated into a bigger war. Boko Haram’s ultimate aim is to establish an ISIL Province in the region.
Boko Haram's initial uprising failed, and its leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed by the Nigerian government. He began the group in the year 2002, with a view of opposing western education with his followers.