This profile by scholars Jason Warner and Hilary Matfess analyzes the demographic and operational characteristics of Boko Haram’s suicide bombers. The authors find that women constitute the majority of identified Boko Haram suicide bombers, accounting for at least 56% of all bombers and over 72% of those whose gender is known, a proportion far higher than in other insurgent movements. According to their data, women are most frequently deployed to civilian spaces—such as markets and transportation hubs—where lower security screening increases the likelihood of successful attacks. The analysis also explores other significant gendered patterns in the group’s use of suicide bombers, including deploying male bombers dressed in feminine clothing, a strategy intended to replicate the perceived advantages associated with female bombers and to evade detection at checkpoints, and the deployment of girl children at a ratio of roughly four to one compared to boys, underscoring Boko Haram’s strategic use of gender- and age-related considerations. In addition to demographic insights, the authors review sociological, strategic, economic, and aesthetic factors driving Boko Haram’s reliance on women and girls as suicide bombers, revealing critical insights for gender-responsive approaches to counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism.
2017