Islamic State group announces new Boko Haram leader

However, hours after the announcement, an audio message surfaced online where the speaker claimed to be the erstwhile leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.

He (Shekau) described al-Barnawi as an infidel who wanted to stage a coup against him.

He said the military was certain that Boko Haram was “in disarray and collapsing”.

As reported by CBS News, the most likely explanation is that there has been a split in Boko Haram and al-Barnawi is the leader of the new faction that is linked to Islamic State.

A spokesman for the multinational force, Col. Muhammad Dole of Nigeria, said terrorists were disguising themselves as civilians and fleeing.

Unlike former leader, Shekau, his delivery in the Hausa language was considered and softly spoken.

There have been recent rumblings of tension between Shekau and the Islamic State leadership.

The New York Post notes that the interview with al-Barnawi indicates a “major shift in strategy” for the Muslim extremists who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks on mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen.

Boko Haram has fought a long war with the Nigerian army and is thought to have killed up to 17,000 people, many of them Christians. The group calls itself Islamic State West African Province, but Nigerians nicknamed it Boko Haram – “Western education is a sin” – a reference to its strict ideology. “Today, Boko Haram is divided into several little groups”, St-Pierre said.

Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000 people dead, mainly in the country’s north-east.

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in March past year.

Ryan Cummings, director of Signal Risk consultancy, said Shekhau had fallen foul of Isil leaders after attacks on cities like Baga, a north eastern town whose residents were all but wiped out in January 2015.

Human rights group Amnesty International said till a year ago 8,000 men and boys had died in Nigerian military custody after being detained as suspected militants. In the past, Shekau constantly saw the need to reassure Nigerians and the world of his existence and leadership of the group.