Boko Haram, the jihadist group also known as Islamic State in West Africa, was founded in 2002 and is active in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

“In the past they entered villages, ostentatiously yelling war cries,” said a priest in northern Cameroon (map). “But recently they have come discreetly, taking advantage of the full moon, to surprise people in their sleep. They kill the fathers of the family and the teenagers, especially the boys. Then they pillage the family’s property and destroy everything they can’t carry off.”