Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Salafi-jihadi groups are gaining strength in parts of Nigeria beyond their usual strongholds in the northeast. In the north-central and northwestern regions, these groups are linked to Boko Haram, al-Qaida, and Islamic State branches in West Africa.
Why it matters? Jihadist groups in Nigeria are suspected of working to expand al-Qaida and Islamic State operations near the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahel – a major region economically, holding 2.7 of the world’s gas reserves and 4.5% of its oil.
Experts have been warning that weaker international and regional counterterrorism efforts were allowing terrorist groups to grow and increasingly cooperate, spreading instability across an already fragile, and economically critical, region.
