The United Nations Security Council finally put the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram on its terrorism list. As a result, its leaders' foreign assets will be frozen, they will not be able to travel internationally, and the group will be subject to an arms embargo.
Given Boko Haram's rampages, the move is long overdue. Unfortunately, however, the impact is likely to be limited: The group operates in remote northeast Nigeria and rarely leaves those confines. The only blow that Boko Haram will feel is one that hits them directly.
Boko Haram was founded in the late 1990s in northern Nigeria as an Islamic group that sought to spread its religious values and install an Islamic government in an area traditionally dominated by Christians. While it has always sought to impose Shariah law in areas under its control, it was originally a nonviolent sect. Its name — Boko Haram roughly translates to "Western education is a sin" in the Hausa-Fulani language — hints at its future evolution, however.
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